


Countdown to Death

by mulderette



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 11:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 38,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8053867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mulderette/pseuds/mulderette
Summary: Tony is trapped with a bomb set to go off in one hour.  Will Gibbs and the team find him in time?





	1. Chapter 1

One hour and counting...

"Struggle all you want, Agent DiNozzo. Even if you are somehow able to loosen your bonds, there is no way you will be able to escape from this room. It is impossible to open the door from the inside without this key." The man dangled it enticingly in front of Tony then laughed at the desperate look in Tony's eyes.

"There is much you would like to say to me, no? Unfortunately, I have no wish to listen to any more of your ramblings. You will have to save them for the afterlife. You have one hour left to live. I suggest you use your time wisely..."

With his hands and feet tightly bound and a gag in his mouth, Tony could only watch helplessly as the man laughed again, then turned to leave the room, the metal door banging loudly behind him. He was left alone to watch the digital timer attached to the bomb counting down the last hour of his life.

xxxxx

Fifty five minutes and counting...

If what this guy said was true, Gibbs knew the chances of finding Tony before the bomb went off were very slim. He had already killed two NCIS agents in a similar manner, leaving a trail of cryptic clues, but always managing to stay one step ahead of them. Both agents had been killed by timed bombs. Both could have been saved if they had managed to piece things together more quickly. Now it was personal. His agent in jeopardy. The clues had led them to a block of condemned buildings that had been partially destroyed by fire. Even with the great number of agents searching under Gibbs' command, it was an awfully large area with not a lot of time left to search. He refused to give up hope though. They still had almost an hour to find Tony. Maybe this time they would get lucky...

xxxxx

Fifty minutes and counting...

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Tony couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to get himself into this situation. The guy had been waiting for him in his apartment and he had been completely taken by surprise. So much for being aware of his surroundings. He'd slammed him over the head with something, Tony didn't even know what, but it had knocked him out and the next thing he knew he had awoken in this room. He knew this guy was the one who had kidnapped and murdered two other NCIS agents, one each week for the past two weeks. He was number three.

He was sure Gibbs would be on the warpath, doing everything in his power to find him. There wasn't anyone he'd rather have on his six. Maybe he would catch a break. Maybe Gibbs would somehow find him. If not, he had less than fifty minutes left to live. The guy had told him to use his time wisely. He tried to force himself to think of something other than the menacing little timer counting down the final minutes of his life, but it sure as hell wasn't easy.

xxxxx

45 minutes and counting...

Gibbs thought back to the first time he had met Tony. Tony had been a member of the Baltimore Police Department and had been working a case involving a serial killer. Victim number three had been a naval officer and NCIS had been called onto the case. Gibbs had been very impressed by the young cop with the confident attitude and exceptional investigational skills. They had immediately clicked and by the time the case ended, Gibbs had offered Tony a job. Eager for new challenges, the young man had accepted Gibbs' offer and a month later he had moved into a new apartment and had presented for his first day of work at NCIS. Gibbs smiled to himself as he remembered the first time he had ever headslapped Tony. The young man had been shocked and really pissed off, but not angry enough to go up against Gibbs...

"What was that for?" Tony had asked, his eyes blazing furiously.

"For being careless and sloppy. I know you're a better agent than that, DiNozzo."

"I wasn't..." Tony had trailed off and Gibbs had seen the realization in Tony's eyes that a mistake had been made. He had been satisfied that the next time they were in a similar situation, Tony would be a lot more careful.

There had been a lot more head smacks over the years, but now, in some way, they were almost a sign of affection. The thought crossed his mind that he might never see his senior agent again and it only served to further his determination. They had to find DiNozzo before the bomb went off...they just had to.

xxxxx

40 minutes and counting...

Agent Afloat. Even now, Tony still hated the term. It definitely wasn't one of his fondest memories. He had despised the time spent aboard the ship. All he had wanted was to go home. He had felt so alone there and hadn't really connected with anyone. Most of the men had looked at him with suspicion, which had only lessened his chances of making any friends. Every time he had spoken to Gibbs or received a letter or postcard from Abby, it had only served to increase his homesickness. He had been so happy when Gibbs and Ziva had flown out to help him with his case and even more thrilled when Gibbs had told him he was going home. When Vance had given him the news that he was reinstated with the team, he had been on top of the world. Of course, based on his current situation, being Agent Afloat would be a godsend. Then again, there really weren't many situations he could think of that were worse than this. He found himself staring at the numbers counting down and willed himself to look away. Every time he looked at the timer, he could feel his anxiety rising even higher. He'd always known he had a good chance of dying in the line of duty, but going out like this, just helplessly waiting for a bomb to go off, was nothing he had ever imagined.

xxxxx

35 minutes and counting...

"McGee! Ziva! You take that hallway. I'll take this one." Gibbs shouted as he started down the darkened corridor. "DiNozzo! Where the hell are you?" His thoughts turned to another bomb that had endangered Tony's life. The bomb that had blown up Tony's car during the whole Le Grenouille case. The scene was etched in his memory. He doubted he would ever forget it. When the car on the video monitor blew up, he had been so sure that Tony was dead. One of the hardest things he had ever done was go to the scene of the explosion, to see the charred body, burned beyond recognition in Tony's car. Even now, the recollection still made him sick to his stomach, the thought that Tony could have died that way...and now it might happen again. Only this time, Tony would likely know it was coming. Gibbs couldn't stand knowing that Tony was somewhere in one of these buildings, waiting for a bomb to explode. He didn't think he would ever forgive himself if they didn't find him in time.

"We're going to find you, Tony," he whispered as he continued to search. "I promise...we will find you..."


	2. Chapter 2

30 minutes and counting...

It was funny. Most people had family to rally around them in times of trouble. Tony had Gibbs and his NCIS family. When he had been sick with the plague, Kate had been terrific while he was in the hospital. She had stayed with him and their playful banter had helped him keep his mind off of what had been happening, at least a little bit. He felt a twinge of guilt when he realized he had never had the chance to properly thank her for that. When he had been released from the hospital, Gibbs had taken over. It had all started with Gibbs insisting on driving Tony home. It hadn't taken Tony long to realize that they were headed in the opposite direction of where he lived.

"Hey, boss...this isn't the way to my apartment," Tony said.

"I know how to get to your apartment, DiNozzo," Gibbs responded.

Tony had been puzzled, but nonetheless had kept his mouth shut, at least for a minute or two. "You taking me out to lunch?" he asked. His appetite was still nowhere near what it usually was, but he supposed he could manage to eat if that was Gibbs' plan.

"We're going to my house, Tony," Gibbs said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh..." That had thrown Tony. He couldn't help but wonder why they were going to Gibbs' place. "Uh, boss? Why are we doing that?" He didn't want to be impolite, but truth be told, he was already starting to tire.

"You are staying with me for a couple of days, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied.

"Staying with you?" Tony echoed. "I appreciate that, but, uh...I can take care of myself, boss."

"You are staying with me," Gibbs had repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Staying with you, boss," Tony had dutifully responded.

In reality, staying with Gibbs had been great. Gibbs had made sure he was doing okay, but he hadn't treated Tony like an invalid. He had made his concern known though and it had been very obvious how much Gibbs cared about him. Coming from a family where Tony had basically been starved for attention, it had been really nice to have someone taking care of him. They had shared some nice talks and Gibbs had even taught Tony a thing or two about boat building. He had actually felt disappointed the day Gibbs had deemed him fit enough to return to his own apartment.

Tony sighed sadly as he realized he likely wouldn't be having any more moments like that one. Not to mention the fact that he was going to die alone. Not that he would have wanted anyone to be in this predicament with him, but it would have been kind of nice to have someone hold his hand or listen to his dying words...something...

25 minutes and counting...

As he started to search in yet another building, Gibbs was trying very hard not to lose hope. He was just trying to stay focused on the task at hand, trying not to think of what Tony was going through. Tony still had so much unfinished in his life, both personally and professionally. He wanted so much for the younger man, wanted to see him fall in love and have children. Having a real family, someone to go home to, would do him all the good in the world. He had to smile at the thought of little DiNozzos running around. Professionally, he wanted Tony to have the chance to run his own team, though selfishly, he would hate like hell to lose him. Of course, now it could very well be a moot point. His stomach was a tangled mass of knots even considering the possibility that they wouldn't find Tony in time. He forced the negative thoughts from his mind and continued to search.

20 minutes and counting...

Tony started to think about Kate and that fateful day on the rooftop. He remembered how scared he had been when she took the bullet to her chest, then the intense relief to find out the bullet was embedded in her protective vest. The subsequent shock when she had been shot in the head and killed instantly had almost been to much to bear. He had managed to hold himself together pretty well until after the funeral. Then, alone in his apartment, he had finally let himself feel the pain.

Tony had just taken a sip of his third beer when he heard a knock on his apartment door. "Go away," he muttered to himself. Geeze, couldn't he ever get any peace?

The knocking continued persistently. "Nobody's home!" he finally called out in aggravation.

"DiNozzo, its Gibbs."

Damn...what the hell did he want? "Not feeling so hot, boss. I'm resting. Can't this wait?"

"Open the door, Tony. I want to talk to you."

"Just go away, boss." He angrily swiped at his tear-filled eyes with the back of his hand. He didn't want Gibbs to see him this way. Couldn't he just leave?

"Don't make me break the door down, DiNozzo."

Damn him. Tony got to his feet and stormed over to the front door, flinging it open. "What?" he demanded as Gibbs brushed past him and entered his apartment. "What do you want?"

"Like I said, I want to talk to you." Gibbs entered Tony's living room and took a seat on Tony's sofa, then patted the cushion next to him. "Sit down, DiNozzo."

"I'd rather stand." Tony knew he was being rude, but he basically didn't care. Gibbs was the one who just decided to show up out of the blue without even calling.

Gibbs sighed. "Don't be stubborn, Tony."

"Fine." Tony had taken a seat on the sofa but kept his are crossed over his chest defensively. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Kate."

Tony had given Gibbs a stricken look then slowly shook his head. "I don't want to talk about Kate."

"Come on, Tony...I know how close the two of you were."

"I said I don't want to talk about her." Since when was Gibbs Mr. touchy feely all wanting to talk about feelings anyway?

"I know how much it hurts to lose her...I'm feeling it too."

Tony had looked back at Gibbs and had been surprised to see one lone tear drop slowly trickle down Gibbs' cheek.

Seeing that Gibbs was as affected by Kate's death as he was had allowed Tony to let his guard down a bit. He had offered Gibbs a beer and then they had ended up ordering a pizza. The two men had bonded and shared stories about Kate. Although they had kept heartfelt emotions and any more tears at bay, Tony knew it had made him feel better. He liked to think it had helped Gibbs as well. Thinking about Kate now, Tony couldn't help envying her a tiny bit. She had never even known what hit her...he wished that he would have been so lucky...

15 minutes and counting...

Gibbs was starting to feel a little bit desperate. He found himself moving even faster, calling Tony's name out as he went. This wasn't the first time Tony had been in jeopardy with Gibbs searching for him. He recalled the time that they had been investigating the disappearance of marine gunnery sergeant Bill Atlas. Tony had been trailing a suspect at a bar. He had been checking in with Gibbs on his cell phone and had had told Gibbs he thought he had screwed up right before their cell phone connection had abruptly ended. Gibbs had been beside himself with worry over the young agent and had been immensely relieved when they found him safe. Then there was the time Tony had gone undercover, posing as an escaped prisoner. They had been tracking Tony via a GPS locator when they had lost the signal. Then they had discovered that the man Tony was with was not only a thief, but a killer as well. Finally, after a stressful search, Gibbs had found him in the front seat of a car with blood-spattered windows. He remembered the trepidation he had felt as he walked towards the car, fearing what he was going to find within. Tony was alive though. He had managed to kill Jeffrey White before the man had killed him.

"You can't keep doing this to me, DiNozzo," Gibbs muttered. He was getting too old for this.

10 minutes and counting...

Tony wondered what his father was going to think. He wondered if he'd attend his funeral...wondered if he'd really care at all. He probably would care a little bit anyhow. After all, the last time they'd seen each other, Tony's father had hugged him...had told him that he loved him. He still wasn't sure whether he believed him or not, but for the man to even tell him that must have meant he had at least some feelings for him, didn't it?

He knew that Gibbs did. Gibbs was going to miss him for sure. Abby would be really upset as well. Ziva...McGee...it wouldn't be easy for them either. He knew these people all cared about him, just as he cared about them. Ducky would talk to his charred body on one of his autopsy tables, calling him 'dear boy' and mourning in his own way...that was if there was even a body left...maybe he'd just totally be blown to bits, probably not though...they had found the bodies of the other two murdered agents...in bad shape, but bodies nonetheless. He wondered if it was going to hurt or if he'd just suddenly be gone.

God...he was scared...he was really scared. He wished someone would come and save him...he didn't want it to end this way...

8 minutes and counting...

Time was running out. This couldn't be happening. Gibbs couldn't lose him like this. Hadn't he lost enough in his life? Now he was going to lose his boy? Tony didn't deserve this. It wasn't fair...it wasn't fair at all...

xxxxx

5 minutes and counting...

So, this was how Anthony DiNozzo's life was going to end...

Now that his time had come, he was starting to come to terms with what was about to happen and accept his fate. He did feel bad for those he was leaving behind though. He knew Gibbs was going to take this hard...really hard... He wished there was some way he could have told him that he knew the man would have done everything in his power to find him...that it wasn't his fault.

Tony had never really put much thought into whether or not there was an afterlife. He wasn't really a praying kind of guy, but now that his time on this earth was over, he figured a prayer wouldn't hurt.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Our father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...

xxxxx

4 minutes and counting...

The second Gibbs saw the door, he knew that Tony was behind it. It was obviously brand new, it didn't match anything else around him. He also knew that time was just about up. He aimed his gun at the lock, praying that he'd get the damn door open.

xxxxx

3 minutes and counting...

The sound of gunshots interrupted his silent prayer. Tony opened his eyes in wonderment as Gibbs came through the doorway, just like a real live action hero.

"Are you hurt? Can you walk?" Gibbs pulled out his knife and quickly cut through Tony's bonds and released the gag. There was no time to try to disarm the bomb...no time at all to spare.

"I'm not hurt, boss."

Gibbs put his arm around the younger man, helping him to his feet, and practically dragged him from the room. "Run!"


	3. Chapter 3

Tony's legs weren't really working properly, having been tied up for so long, but Gibbs helped him along as they literally began to run for their lives...

When the explosion finally came, the sudden impact threw both men roughly to the floor. Gibbs took a few moments to get his bearings, then slowly sat up as he took a mental inventory of his body. He was pretty sore and his right shoulder was a little bit banged up, but in general, everything seemed to be okay. He looked over at Tony who was breathing heavily and seemed a little bit dazed. "You alright, DiNozzo?" he asked softly.

"I'm okay, boss," Tony replied, trying to get both his breathing and his heartbeat under control. "How about you?"

"I'm fine, just a little bit sore."

"Man...I really thought I was done for...I really thought that was it..." Now that it was over and everything that had happened was beginning to really sink in, he found himself to be almost more shaky than he had been while waiting for the bomb to go off.

"So did I, Tony...So did I..."

"I owe you big time, boss. You really saved my ass." He shuddered slightly as he realized just how close he had come to dying.

Gibbs could see Tony was a bit shaken and he helped him to sit up as he studied him closely. "You sure you're okay?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah...he knocked he out when he first grabbed me, but I'm okay."

"Well, you're taking a little trip to Bethesda just to make sure."

Tony was about to protest, but the determined look on Gibbs' face told him that would be unwise. In any case, after what had just happened, he supposed a quick trip to the ER was a small price to pay, when it could have been so much worse.

Gibbs notified Ziva that Tony was safe and then helped him get to his feet. "Come on...let's get the hell out of this place." The two of them then slowly made their way out of the building. Ziva and McGee were waiting for them right at the entrance when they got outside.

"Tony, I was so worried. Thank God you are safe," Ziva said as she gave him a hug.

"Are you hurt?" McGee asked, looking at Tony with concern.

No, I'm alright," Tony said, shaking his head.

"But, he's going into Bethesda just to make sure," Gibbs added

"Should I call an ambulance?" McGee asked.

"No," Tony answered quickly.

Gibbs hesitated, carefully considering McGee's question.

"Oh come on, Boss. I definitely do not need an ambulance." Tony gave Gibbs a beseeching look.

Gibbs was tempted to ignore Tony's request, just to be on the safe side, but decided to give him a break. He did seem to be okay and he didn't really want to cause him any undue distress after what he'd just been through. "Okay, Tony...I'll take you in. McGee, Ziva. I want you to go photograph and bag and tag the scene of the explosion. I'll keep you informed." He knew they needed to question Tony thoroughly about everything that had happened, but first he wanted to make sure everything was physically okay with his agent. He led Tony over to where his car was parked and headed towards the hospital. Tony was uncharacteristically silent during the drive. "You okay?" Gibbs asked, shooting yet another look of many he had shot in the younger man's direction.

"Yeah, boss...I'm fine." Fine enough not to have to go to the hospital, he added mentally. He wanted to get back to headquarters and hopefully get a lead on who this guy was. At least Tony knew what he looked like now.

They arrived at the hospital and Gibbs dropped Tony off at the entrance to the ER then went to park his car. A few minutes later, Gibbs entered the crowded ER and scanned the room, searching for his agent. Finally, he spotted him, sitting in a chair, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed. Gibbs sighed deeply and ran his hand back through his hair as he took a few moments to collect his thoughts. He'd almost lost him today...had come closer than he ever would have wanted. He was so thankful that he had found him in time. He walked over to where Tony was sitting and quietly took the seat beside him, taking care not to disturb him, unsure if Tony had fallen asleep or was merely resting his eyes.

In truth, Tony was not sleeping or really resting either. He was mentally going over everything that had happened, trying to recall details of the man's description and commit them to memory. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even hear his name when it was called. "Tony? Come on, Tony. They're calling you." Gibbs gently shook his arm and Tony opened his eyes.

Tony opened his eyes and stood up a little too quickly, causing him to stumble slightly.

"You dizzy?" Gibbs asked as he grabbed Tony to help steady him.

Tony shook his head. "Just got up too fast is all. I'm alright."

They followed the nurse into the ER cubicle area where Tony was asked to change into a hospital gown and started on an IV. He then patiently went through a physical exam and numerous tests. Finally, the doctor returned with the verdict. "Well, Agent DiNozzo, you sustained a moderate concussion. "I'd like to keep you overnight for observation."

Tony shook his head. "I really don't want to do that, Doc. I'm not going to be able to get any rest in this place."

"You'll do what the doctor says, DiNozzo, or you'll have me to deal with," Gibbs ordered sharply. Tony had almost died. He wasn't about to let him jeopardize himself even further.

The doctor gave a sympathetic look to the miserable-appearing young man. "If I was to release you, do you have someone to stay with you?" he asked, glancing over at Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded. "I can stay with him. Are you sure its okay to let him go though?"

"I'll give you a list of things to watch out for. If any of them occur, you'll have to get him back here right away. Wake him up every two to three hours just to check his mental status."

Gibbs nodded again. He'd been through this drill before.

"Okay then, once you finish the IV fluids, I'll get you released. I'll be back soon."

Tony watched as the doctor left then covered his mouth as a yawn escaped him. The adrenaline that had kicked in with the events of the day was finally starting to wear off and he was beginning to feel pretty drowsy.

"Why don't you try to rest until he lets you leave, Tony," Gibbs said softly, noting his agent's weary appearance.

Thinking that wasn't such a bad idea, Tony allowed his eyes to close and dropped off to sleep almost immediately. Gibbs fussed around with Tony's blanket, pulling it a little bit higher and tighter around the younger man. He rarely thought of DiNozzo as being vulnerable, but right now he did. He couldn't help it. Tony was the third of three highly skilled agents to have been grabbed by this freak and was very lucky to still be alive.

xxxxx

With Tony safely seatbelted in the passenger seat beside him, Gibbs headed towards his home. He had debated on going to Tony's apartment, but thought his own home might be safer for the time being. "Where we going, boss?" Tony mumbled, only half awake.

"We're going to my place, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied.

"Okay, sounds good," Tony managed to say before drifting off again.

Before too long, Gibbs pulled up at his home and turned towards the sleeping man next to him, gently shaking his shoulder. "DiNozzo? DiNozzo, wake up. We're here."

"Here?" Tony asked sleepily. "Where are we?"

"We're at my house. Come on, Tony, wake up." Gibbs shook Tony's shoulder a bit more forcefully and finally managed to rouse him. He then was able to get Tony into the house and into bed with a minimal amount of trouble. "Sleep well," Gibbs said softly, taking one more look at his agent before closing the door.

Xxxxx

The first time Gibbs checked on Tony during the night was uneventful. Tony correctly answered Gibbs' questions and swiftly fell back asleep. The second time was a different story. When Gibbs entered the room, he found Tony thrashing about on the bed, the sheet and blanket tangled up around him with one pillow on the floor. "Let me go! Get away from me!"

Shit. Gibbs rushed over to the bed and placed his hand on Tony's shoulder. "NO! I said get away!" Tony frantically tried to get away from Gibbs, coming dangerously close to toppling off the bed.

"Shhh...Tony, Tony...it's okay. You're alright. You're safe now." Gibbs gently soothed the distraught man, trying to ease him out of the nightmare.

Finally, Tony opened his eyes and stared up at Gibbs with a bewildered expression on his face. "Bo...boss?"

"Yeah, its me. Do you know where you are?"

Tony looked around for a few seconds then nodded. "I'm at your house." He slowly sat up and shakily ran his hand back through his sweat-soaked hair. "Man...that was some dream..."

"You want to talk about it?" Gibbs asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"No." Tony quickly shook his head.

"How about some water?"

"Yeah, okay...water would be good, boss."

Gibbs left the room for a few minutes then returned with a glass of cold water which he handed to Tony. "Thanks." Tony took a few sips then placed the glass on the nightstand next to the bed.

"You sure you don't want to talk, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked sitting back down on the bed.

Tony shook his head, a look of frustration on his face. "About what? About how stupid I was to get caught by this guy?"

"Are you calling those two agents who were killed stupid too?"

"No. Of course not, boss. But, they didn't know there was a pattern developing. I did know, and I was careless. Almost got myself killed...and you killed as well..."

Tony looked down at the bed, but not before Gibbs glimpsed the guilt in his eyes. "This isn't going to help, DiNozzo. You need to let go of all this guilt that you're feeling and focus on catching this guy."

He glanced at his watch. It was almost 5:30. He knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, but he wasn't sure about Tony. "You want to try to get back to sleep?"

Tony quickly shook his head. "I'm not tired boss. I want to get started on tracking this guy down."

"You're feeling alright? How's your head?"

"I'm fine." He had a slight headache, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. "Can we stop by my apartment? I need to get a change of clothes."

"Sure, but breakfast first. You need to eat something. What would you like?"

Tony shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Whatever you're having is fine."

"Come on, DiNozzo," Gibbs coaxed. "I'm actually willing to cook for you. How many chances like this are you going to get?"

"Probably not too many," Tony admitted. He really didn't want to put Gibbs to any trouble though.

"There must be something you'd like."

"Blueberry pancakes?" Tony finally asked, with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Gibbs nodded, a faint smile on his face. He'd been pretty sure that was what Tony would say. He had made them one other time when Tony had stayed over and he'd put away an impressive amount of them.

"Thanks, boss. I do love your blueberry pancakes." Tony said with a grin.

"I'll meet you downstairs." As Gibbs headed down to start making their breakfast, he had to wonder about the almost child-like glee Tony sometimes displayed over the simplest little things. He didn't think his agent had had the best childhood and probably only rarely, if ever, been given little treats when he was a child. He figured that might be why Tony took such delight in certain things.

A short time later, Tony joined Gibbs in the kitchen. "Anything I can do?" Tony asked, watching as Gibbs mixed the pancake batter.

"No, that's okay. Just make yourself comfortable. These won't take long and we have a long day ahead of us." He couldn't help still being worried about his senior field agent. Not only his current physical condition, but possible ramifications that might occur as a result of Tony having survived the attempt on his life. It was very worrisome to say the least.

xxxx

"In a narrow escape, Agent DiNozzo was rescued only moments before the bomb went off. He's the first victim of the so-called NCIS killer who has been able to get away."

The man seethed as he stared at the smiling picture of the young agent on his television screen. He couldn't believe they had found him in time. That wasn't supposed to happen. No matter though. Next time, the agent wouldn't be so lucky. "Smile while you can, Agent DiNozzo." The man sneered as he continued to stare at the screen. "You won't be smiling for long..."


	4. Chapter 4

"Those were outstanding, boss." Tony swallowed his last mouthful of blueberry pancakes and patted his stomach with a contented smile.

"You sure you had enough?" Gibbs asked with a smirk. He had lost count of how many pancakes his agent had put away.

"Couldn't eat another bite." Tony was completely stuffed. He knew he had overdone it, but the breakfast had been delicious.

Truthfully, Gibbs was happy to see that Tony had a good appetite after all that had happened the previous day. "You about ready to go?" he asked, eying the younger man carefully. He didn't want to push too hard, but it was important to get as many details as possible to hopefully identify the perpetrator.

"Yeah, I'm all set." Tony pushed away from the table and carried the breakfast plates over to the sink

"I'll worry about those later," Gibbs said. "Let's get a move on."

Before heading out, Gibbs left Tony alone for a few minutes, returning with a gun and shoulder holster which he handed to his agent. "I don't want to leave you unarmed, not even for a minute," he explained.

"Thanks, boss." The two exited the house, both cautiously examining their surroundings and checking out Gibbs' vehicle thoroughly before Gibbs turned on the ignition. Both men gave sighs of relief when nothing happened. Gibbs then pulled the car out onto the street and they were on their way.

xxxxx.

"At least he didn't take my car." Tony was relieved to see his automobile parked right where he had left it in the parking garage of his building. "You just going to drop me off, boss?" Tony gave Gibbs a questioning glance as he pulled his car into a visitor parking space.

Gibbs shook his head, looking a little bit annoyed. "What do you think, DiNozzo?" He turned off the ignition and opened the driver's side door.

"Sorry, boss...stupid question." Of course Gibbs wouldn't just drop him off after what had happened, especially since Tony was likely an even bigger target now. He opened the car door and the two men headed into the building. As they walked along the corridor, Tony made a realization. "Uh, boss? I...um, don't have my keys..."

Gibbs dangled his own set of keys in front of Tony's face. "I have a key to your apartment, Tony. Remember?" He had made it a point, a long time ago, to obtain keys to each member of his team's homes.

Tony nodded hesitantly as they reached the door to his apartment. He couldn't help but feel apprehensive as he watched Gibbs unlock the door. "You set?" Gibbs asked. He drew his weapon and glanced at Tony, who had also drawn his gun, as he slowly opened the door and flicked on the light switch.

They cautiously made their way through the apartment, searching each room and closet, but found no one and nothing seemed to be amiss. "I didn't really think he'd come back here," Gibbs said as he re-holstered his weapon. "But we need to be really careful." He was taking no chances with Tony's life on the line.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll be good to go, boss."

"Tony? I want you to pack an overnight bag with a few days worth of clothes. You're going to be staying with me for the time being."

"Okay, boss," Tony nodded, realizing this was an order, not a request. He had to admit, it felt good to have Gibbs on his six. He had no desire to be sitting with another bomb any time soon. He went into his bedroom and stripped down then headed into the bathroom. Once he was in the shower, he was able to relax under the spray of hot water pelting down on him. Wishing he could stay longer, but knowing that Gibbs was waiting for him, he washed up quickly. He then shaved, dressed and packed a bag in an amount of time that even Gibbs would be unable to complain about.

"Not bad, DiNozzo. Not bad at all," Gibbs commented, impressed by how quickly Tony was ready to go.

"I'm all set." Tony slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and watched Gibbs expectantly as the man got up from the couch. The two then headed off to NCIS headquarters.

xxxxx

Tony sat across from Gibbs in the interrogation room. He wasn't sure why, but he actually felt a little bit nervous, as if he had done something wrong. He guessed Gibbs just had that effect on people.

"Whenever you're ready, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, his steely blue eyes focused on his agent.

Tony fidgeted a bit as he got himself comfortable, then began. "I got home from work and unlocked the door to my apartment. Just as I turned on the light, I heard a noise, but before I could turn around, I was hit from behind. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the room where you found me. At that point, I was tied up, but not gagged. He was just sitting there, staring at me with this weird smile on his face..."

"Glad to see you awake, Agent DiNozzo."

"Who the hell are you? Where am I?" Tony asked, struggling futilely against the tight bonds around his wrists.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," the man said in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do...find out." Tony knew he was in trouble. The guy was a total whack job.

"Did you make the connection right away?" Gibbs asked. "That it was the same person responsible for killing O'Hearn and Martin?"

Tony shook his head. "No, not right away, but he didn't keep me guessing for long..."

"Are you looking forward to joining your friends?" The man asked still speaking in that eerie sing-song voice.

"My friends?" Tony asked as a shiver ran down his spine, partially from the chill in the room and partly because this gut just plain creeped him out and for the time being, anyway, he was at his mercy. "You...you have some of my friends?"

"Had your friends," the man corrected, then began to sing to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat..."

"Blow, blow, blow them up  
With my little bombs  
Now I will have my sweet, sweet revenge  
Cause NCIS did me wrong"

"You know...bombs and wrong don't rhyme," Tony said with a smirk, knowing it was a mistake the minute the words came out of his mouth.

"Arrrrrrrgh! The guy had come at him again with a steel pipe in his hands which Tony, unfortunately, hadn't noticed until it was coming straight at his head.

"He clocked you twice, DiNozzo?" Gibbs growled. "You didn't tell me that yesterday...didn't tell the doctor that either..."

Tony shifted uncomfortably under Gibbs' gaze. "I...I must have forgotten, boss," he mumbled. "You know how head injuries can affect your memory. Anyhow...the doctor knew...he just didn't say anything in front of you. I think he was afraid you'd beat me up or something." Tony couldn't help the faint smile that crossed his lips, but Gibbs was very unamused and he quickly wiped the smile off his face. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Go on," Gibbs ordered.

Tony nodded. "So, after I came to the second time...that's when I saw the bomb..."

"Oooooh..." Tony groaned softly as he regained consciousness.

The man sang again, this time to the tune of "Baa Baa Black Sheep."

"Tony, Tony now you are awake.  
You must have a big headache."

"Is that rhyme more to your liking?" he asked, staring at Tony in a way that made his skin crawl.

Tony said nothing. He had learned his lesson and besides now he had more important things to worry about. His gaze was now fixed on the bomb which had evidently been brought in while he was unconscious. His heart began to race as his fate became clear.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Tony asked, staring back at the man. "I...I don't even know you, do I?"

"No. No, you don't know me, Agent DiNozzo. Neither did the other agents. You're all just innocent pawns. Or maybe not so innocent. Who really knows about these things."

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're fucking crazy. You'd better let me go. You're going to be in a whole lot of trouble if you don't."

"I assure you. I am not crazy." The sing-song voice was gone now. The man was serious, deadly serious. "And I think you are the one who's in trouble, not me. I assure you that I will be long gone before the bomb goes off. You, on the other hand, will not."

"Blowing up people for no reason isn't exactly the act of a sane person," Tony stated.

The man's eyes narrowed. He was tired of listening to Tony. "I've heard enough out of you," he said. He then pulled a dirty piece of cloth out of his pocket and shoved it into Tony's mouth, tying it tightly behind his head.

"He never said anything about why he was doing this?" Gibbs was watching Tony closely. The younger man looked upset, caught up in the memories of what had happened. "Never gave a reason?"

Tony shook his head. "No...no, he didn't, just revenge, but no specifics, boss..I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for. You're doing fine, Tony." Gibbs stood up and walked over to his agent, giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "You up to working with a sketch artist now?"

"Yeah, definitely." Tony stood up and followed Gibbs out of the room, wanting to work on getting an ID on this dirtbag as soon as possible.

xxxxx

"Marvin C. Bittner." Tony announced as the team stood looking at the big screen plasma. Tony had spent time with a sketch artist and then the team had worked tirelessly through the day to come up with the man Tony was sure had abducted him.

"You're positive, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"It makes sense, boss," McGee stated as Tony nodded his head. "This guy was wrongly convicted for the 2001 murder of Petty Officer Randall McCormick. Imprisoned for seven years."

"The conviction was overturned when new evidence surfaced last year," Ziva added. "He was finally released from prison."

"Guess he has a right to be pissed off," Tony said, barely managing to hold back a yawn. The slight headache which had been with him that morning had been steadily increasing throughout the day. Now his head was pounding mercilessly. All he wanted was to lie down in a dark room and get some sleep.

"Pissed off I can understand," Gibbs said. "But this I don't get. None of the agents he's abducted were even involved in his case, were they?"

"No," McGee answered, shaking his head. "I think he's just pissed off at NCIS, in general."

"Well, grab your gear. Let's see if we can find this guy and get him off the streets."

xxxxx

The search of Bittner's last known address came up empty-handed and the team headed back to headquarters, tired and frustrated.

"You sure he didn't give you any clue to where he could be holed up, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He was driving with McGee sitting beside him. Tony and Ziva were seated in the back of the car.

There was no answer.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs called again.

"Tony is asleep, Gibbs," Ziva said softly. "Do you want me to wake him?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. Let him sleep." They had been at it for hours and hours, since early that morning. He knew Tony had to be exhausted and he strongly suspected that he wasn't doing as well as he had been leading Gibbs to believe.

They arrived back at headquarters and Ziva gently rubbed Tony's shoulder. "Tony? Come on, Tony. Time to wake up."

Tony opened his eyes and blearily looked at Ziva and then at Gibbs and McGee who had turned their heads and were watching him from the front seat of the now parked car.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, glaring at each of them in turn before getting out of the car and slamming the door behind him.

"Think its about time to call it a night," Gibbs said as the rest of them got out of the car and followed Tony back inside the building. They would start fresh in the morning and hopefully they would get to Bittner before he did any more damage.


	5. Chapter 5

When Gibbs and the rest of the team arrived back in the bullpen area, Tony was already sitting at his desk, diligently working on his computer.

"Come on DiNozzo. Time to call it a night," Gibbs said. Tony looked completely wiped out. There was no way he was going to let him work himself further into the ground.

"What? No way, boss. We really need to get this guy. I'm staying here."

Ziva and McGee glanced at Tony then at Gibbs. It wasn't like Tony to contradict Gibbs, especially when it came to being told to leave work.

"Its late. I'm tired. We're going back to my place now," Gibbs ordered. He knew if he called DiNozzo on looking utterly exhausted, it was only going to result in an argument, which he was in no mood for. It was much easier to just say that he, himself, was tired.

Tony glanced at Gibbs suspiciously, not quite sure he believed his claim of being tired, but not about to dispute it either. "Fine," he said as he proceeded to log off his computer.

Ziva and McGee each had faint smiles on their faces, fully aware of what Gibbs had done. "I'll see you tomorrow," McGee said.

"Have a good night," Ziva stated. "I hope you feel better, Tony."

Tony was going to say that he was fine, but Ziva was only being nice and he didn't want to be rude. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Ziva and McGee left quickly after promising to be in very early the next morning and Gibbs and DiNozzo followed along shortly after. Tony was quiet on the way to Gibbs' house, seemingly preoccupied. "You want to talk about it?" Gibbs asked, unable to hide the concern in his eyes as he glanced over at Tony.

"No...nothing to talk about," Tony replied, unconvincingly.

The two men were silent for the remainder of the drive home. Gibbs was focused on the road while Tony stared unseeingly at the passing scenery. Finally, they arrived back at Gibbs' house. After making sure the home was secure, they settled themselves in the living room. Tony leaned his head back against the top of the couch and closed his eyes, trying to will the pounding in his head to go away.

"When's the last time you took something for your headache?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe around 1 o'clock."

Gibbs sighed to himself. It was obvious Tony wasn't feeling well, but he was too stubborn to admit it. He was well overdue for taking some pain medication. Letting the pain get ahead of him like this wasn't helping matters any, but he knew Tony would balk at a lecture. Gibbs went into the kitchen and returned a couple of minutes later with a glass of water and some over-the-counter pain meds, which he handed to his agent. "Here, Tony. Take these."

Tony opened his eyes and took the offered pills without complaint. "Thanks, boss."

"So. What should we have for dinner?" Gibbs asked. "Should we order out?" He knew he didn't feel like cooking.

" Doesn't matter to me. Whatever you want to do is fine with me," Tony replied with a shrug. He wasn't really particularly hungry, but figured saying that would just open up another can of worms so he decided to just keep his mouth shut.

"Pizza?" Gibbs asked, knowing it was Tony's favorite.

"Yeah, sure. Pizza's fine."

Gibbs looked back at Tony skeptically. He seemed less than enthusiastic. "Is there something else you'd rather get? Anything is fine with me."

"Actually, I'm really not all that hungry, boss," he finally admitted reluctantly.

"You need to eat though." Gibbs was pretty sure that Tony hadn't eaten anything since that morning. Since he had eaten a big breakfast, he hadn't nagged him, but now he really needed to put something in his stomach. "Not eating isn't going to help your headache any."

"Just get whatever you want, boss, and I'll eat it," Tony said wearily.

Gibbs inwardly debated on what nutritious choices were available to them, but ended up going back to the pizza, thinking it might tempt Tony even though he said he wasn't hungry. "So...you want to talk about what's bugging you?" Gibbs asked, after he had made the call to the pizza place.

"Who said something was bugging me?"

Gibbs didn't say anything but continued to watch Tony who finally caved under his gaze. "It's no big deal," he began. "I was just wondering how Bittner chose his victims. There doesn't seem to be any kind of pattern, at least not that I can see. O'Hearn was a veteran agent...up for retirement soon. Married, no children. Martin...he was a couple of years younger than me. Married with three kids..." That was the one he was really having trouble with. "I...I can't imagine what he was going through at the end, boss...waiting for the bomb to go off...knowing he'd never see his family again...knowing he wasn't going to see his children grow up...it must have been unbearable..."

"That kind of thing is traumatic for anyone to go through," Gibbs commented. 'Even you,' he added silently.

Tony continued on as if Gibbs hadn't spoken. "The kids were so brave at the funeral." Three somber-eyed children gathered around their mother, two boys and a girl. He hadn't known Martin particularly well, but knew enough to know he was a good dad, had seen the look of pride in his eyes when he talked about his kids. "They didn't deserve that..."

"No one deserved what happened, Tony." Gibbs gently squeezed the shoulder of his troubled agent. "You didn't deserve it either..."

"I deserved it more than Martin did."

Gibbs shook his head. "If we hadn't found you in time, there would be three dead agents now instead of two. Besides...whether or not you have children isn't a measure of whether or not you deserve to die."

Tony shrugged, unconvinced and Gibbs sighed as he wondered how Tony, who usually exuded such confidence, could have such a low sense of self worth.

The conversation pretty much came to a standstill, at that point, and Gibbs was relieved when the doorbell rang and he went to get the pizza. When he returned, just a few minutes later, Tony was fast asleep. He inwardly debated waking his senior agent for only a moment before deciding it would be much better to just let the exhausted man rest. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions for him to be in, but Gibbs figured if Tony woke up later, he would be able to get himself more comfortable or head upstairs to bed if he chose to. Gibbs put the pizza in the refrigerator and then went and got a blanket which he gently covered Tony with. Leaving a pillow by his side, Gibbs gave his agent one more look then headed upstairs to get some sleep.

xxxxx

The sound of a door banging closed jarred Tony from his sleep. He blearily gazed around and found that he was alone in Gibbs' living room. He realized he must have fallen asleep on Gibbs. He didn't really remember. His headache had diminished significantly and he actually felt a little bit hungry. Knowing that Gibbs would have saved him some pizza, he got up to head into the kitchen and then he suddenly smelled smoke.

Instantly wide awake, Tony ran to the staircase and realized the fire was upstairs. "Boss! Gibbs!" he screamed as he ran up the staircase and headed towards Gibbs' bedroom. He wasn't exactly sure where the fire was coming from but the air was laden with thick smoke. He opened the door to Gibbs' room and almost panicked when he saw the flames shooting up at him, seemingly everywhere. "Boss! Boss, can you hear me?" he reached Gibbs' side and frantically shook his shoulder but got no response. Realizing he had no time to spare, he lifted the unconscious man into a fireman's carry and headed back downstairs. The front door was totally engulfed in flames, so Tony headed towards the back of the house, hoping they would be able to escape that way. A few moments later, they were outside in the back yard. Coughing harshly, Tony lowered Gibbs to the ground and knelt down beside him. Relieved to find that Gibbs was breathing on his own, Tony took a few large gulps of air and concentrated on getting his breathing back under control.

"Very nicely done, Agent DiNozzo. You're a credit to your agency."

Tony felt a shiver run down his spine when he heard the familiar voice. "You did this?" he asked, turning his head to face Bittner, who was standing a couple of feet away pointing a gun at him. "Why?"

Bittner shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. Agent Gibbs here heard me so I had to conk him on the head. You did well to get him out of the house. I wasn't sure either of you would get out of there." He looked at the flames shooting from Gibbs' house, his eyes filled with pride and admiration. "Just look at all the bright colors...Its beautiful, don't you think?"

Tony had an expression of dismay on his face as his gaze followed Bittner's. The fire was spreading rapidly. Gibbs' family home, the house he had shared with Shannon and Kelly, was rapidly being destroyed by the angry flames. He felt sick at the thought of it. "No. Its not beautiful. Its vicious and ugly."

Bittner began to sing softly to the tune of 'London Bridge.'

"Jethro's house is burning down.  
Burning down.  
Burning down.  
Jethro's house is burning down.  
Poor, poor Jethro."

"You're a real sick bastard," Tony spat out. "What did he do to you? What did any of us do to you?"

"The same thing I did to that dead petty officer I supposedly killed...Absolutely nothing. But I went to prison for it anyway. Your agency is to blame for that and now some of you must pay the price."

Tony glanced at Gibbs who hadn't moved a muscle and then he faced Bittner again. The wheels were furiously spinning in his head, but so far he had no idea how to get out of this mess. He could hear the sounds of approaching sirens and could only hope that police were accompanying the fire department and could be of assistance. Bittner also heard the sirens and his eyes darkened considerably. "We're getting out of here. Now." He pulled a set of handcuffs out of his pocket . "Put your hands up and get over here. This time, I'm not going to be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for you to be found. This time, you will be blown to bits."

Tony's heartbeat sped up considerably, but he remained still, making no movement towards Bittner. He knew that once he was handcuffed, he and Gibbs were both as good as dead.

Tony's refusal to heed Bittner's demand infuriated him and he pointed the gun at Gibbs' head. "I will kill him."

"Don't...I'll do what you want." Tony slowly approached Bittner with his hands up over his head.

"Now, turn around with your hands behind your back."

Tony knew it wouldn't be easy for Bittner to hold the gun and cuff him at the same time and also knew he was only going to have one chance to get out of this mess. In any case, he would rather die from a gunshot than to have to endure another agonizing wait for another bomb to blow up. He slowly began to turn, then with a swift motion lunged himself at Bittner and grasped for his weapon. Bittner was strong though and the two men began grappling fiercely for the gun. Tony kicked at Bittner as hard as he could, trying to wrench the gun from the other man's grasp as they rolled around on the ground. Bittner, a heavy man who outweighed Tony by at least 50 pounds, managed to get on top of Tony and started to gain an advantage as he repeatedly thrust his knee into Tony's abdomen. Tony desperately threw an elbow at Bittner's head and the man lost his grip on the gun. Tony kicked it out of Bittner's reach and tried to get it himself, but Bittner pulled him into a chokehold. His breathing effectively cut off, Tony frantically tried to escape the hold, but was weakening rapidly and his vision was beginning to blur. No longer able to breathe, Tony finally blacked out, his last conscious thought being that he had failed Gibbs miserably.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Gibbs noticed as he struggled to regain consciousness was the strong smell of smoke providing a sharp contrast to the cold night air. He opened his eyes and saw his house, totally engulfed in flames. He was so devastated by the sight that it took him a few moments before he was even aware of the fight taking place over to his right. DiNozzo appeared to be on the losing end of a fierce struggle with a man who outweighed him by quite a bit. Gibbs couldn't clearly see the man's face, but he knew that it was Bittner. The man drew Tony into a choke hold and the young agent quickly began to lose his grasp on consciousness. It was then that Gibbs saw the gun on the ground. Shaking the last few cobwebs from his head, Gibbs lunged for the small revolver and grabbed it.

"Let. Him. Go," Gibbs demanded, his voice hoarse from the smoke, but deadly intense as he stood and pointed the gun at Bittner. "Now."

Bittner released his grip on Tony, smirking as the agent fell limply to the ground. "You won't shoot me," he said, slowly starting to back away.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Lie down on the ground...on your stomach, hands behind your head."

Bittner stared at Gibbs, knowing full well he was heading back to prison. But, at least this time he would deserve to be there. Kidnapping, arson and murder were fine prison-worthy accomplishments. His only regret was that he hadn't been able to take down a few more agents before he had been apprehended. He glanced down at DiNozzo and saw that he was starting to come around. He smiled as he realized he had one last opportunity to damage these two NCIS agents. He couldn't kill them, but he could certainly fuck with their minds. "It is truly a shame about your home, Agent Gibbs. Just think, if you hadn't rescued Tony-boy here, this never would have happened. He'd be dead, but your home would be intact. So many memories in a man's home...so many memories now gone forever..."

Tony looked at Gibbs and saw the sorrow and devastation on the man's face. He was immediately overcome with guilt. Bittner was right. Gibbs' home had been destroyed and it was all his fault.

"I said lie down on the damn ground!"

Smirking again, Bittner followed Gibbs' order, but not before he saw the guilt in Agent DiNozzo's eyes. That really had been way too easy...

xxxxx

Tony and Gibbs were lying on beds in the ER treatment area. The curtain which was used to separate the cubicles had been left open so they could talk, but so far, neither man had uttered a word except to answer questions posed by medical personnel. Tony, for his part, had been trying to muster up some sort of an apology, but every time he tried, the words died in his throat. Gibbs looked closed off in a way Tony had never seen before and he had no idea of what to say. 'Hey boss, I'm sorry I destroyed your home and your life' just didn't seem to cut it.

"Agent DiNozzo?" Dr. Hughes, the ER physician who had been treating him and Gibbs came over to his bedside. "I'm going to release you. I see no reason to keep you here. If you experience any problems, either follow up here or with your primary care physician."

Tony nodded. He had insisted he was fine except for some bumps and bruises sustained in the scuffle with Bittner. Luckily he hadn't broken any ribs and he had deliberately neglected to mention his steadily worsening headache. "What about Gibbs?" he asked quietly.

"Well, I think it would be prudent to keep him overnight for observation. He did sustain a concussion and some smoke inhalation."

Tony nodded, expecting Gibbs to offer some form of a protest, but he didn't. "Agent Gibbs? I'll get you set up with a room and we'll get you transferred upstairs, okay?"

Gibbs nodded silently and the doctor headed out of the cubicle, leaving them alone once again. Tony was staring at Gibbs, his eyes filled with dread and his stomach a tangled up mass of knots, but Gibbs didn't even acknowledge his presence. Tony wasn't even sure if Gibbs knew that he was in the room with him. Tony tried again to say something, but once again he failed to get the words out and the silence stretched on.

Finally, an orderly arrived to transfer Gibbs to his room and Gibbs finally broke his silence. "Go home, Tony."

Tony was as startled to hear Gibbs speak as he was by his words. "What? No, boss. I'm going to stay here with you. Anyhow, I have to stay here overnight too," he fibbed, figuring that Gibbs might not have processed what the doctor had told him.

"I heard what the doctor said, DiNozzo. He told you to go home. I'm ordering you to go."

"Boss, I'm really sorry about what happened...I...I'm sorry I didn't hear Bittner break into your house. Please, boss, let me stay," Tony pleaded. "I...I...let me help you. I'm really sorry..."

Gibbs' head was throbbing and all he wanted to do was sleep and try to forget what had happened, at least temporarily. He heard Tony's voice in the background, but his brain wasn't registering what the younger man was saying. He just knew that he needed to go home and get some much needed rest if he could. "Go home, Tony," he said again right before he succumbed to the overwhelming exhaustion he was feeling and fell asleep.

His eyes filled with despair, Tony watched as the orderly finished transferring Gibbs to the gurney and then pushed him out of the cubicle. He stood silently for a few long minutes and then made his way out of the ER treatment area. He was so upset and caught up in his own thoughts that he passed right by Ducky who was sitting in the waiting room, without even noticing he was there.

"Anthony." Ducky got up and went after Tony after he walked by him. "Anthony?" He placed his hand on Tony's shoulder, startling the younger man and causing him to jump.

"God, Ducky, you scared the crap out of me," Tony said, whirling around to face the older gentleman. "Why did you sneak up on me like that?"

"I didn't sneak up on you. You walked right by me. Are you alright, Tony? Is Jethro?" Ducky looked at Tony with concern. He looked wiped out and there seemed to be a deep sadness in his eyes. Something was very wrong.

"I...I'm alright...Gibbs...he has a concussion, but he should be okay. They're keeping him overnight," he replied with a tremor in his voice. "Did you hear about Gibbs' house?"

Ducky nodded solemnly. "Yes...yes, I heard. Its a terrible shame. I just thank God that you and Jethro managed to escape and Bittner will be behind bars where he belongs. You both could have been killed."

"Its my fault, Ducky," Tony blurted out. "Gibbs' house is gone and its all my fault."

"What?" Ducky looked at Tony in surprise. "Of course its not your fault, Anthony. Why would you even think such a thing?" He put his arm around Tony and led him over to a waiting room chair. He could feel Tony's body trembling under his touch.

"Be...because its true." Tony offered no resistance as Ducky gently pushed him into a chair and sat down next to him. "Gibbs thinks so too. He blames me, Ducky. I apologized, but he wouldn't even listen to me. Not that I blame him...Everything is gone now and its all because of me. If Bittner had just blown me up the first time, none of this would have happened."

"Tony, you are talking utter nonsense," Ducky said with a look of shock on his face, The boy was in such a state, he was beginning to wonder why the doctor hadn't kept him for the night as well. "Don't let Jethro hear you talking like that."

"Why not? He'd be the first one to agree with me."

"That simply is not true. Of course, Jethro is very understandably upset right now, but Tony, you are more important to him than his house. I guarantee it."

"You think so, Ducky?" Tony asked. "More important than a lifetime full of memories? More important than items that belonged to his wife and daughter that can never be replaced? More important than photographs that are now gone forever?"

"Yes, Tony. You are far more important than all of those things."

"Well thanks for the vote of confidence, Ducky. I'm glad you think so, but Gibbs definitely does not."

"Oh Anthony, you have no idea just how wrong you are." Ducky was distressed to hear the way Tony was talking and needed to find some way to snap him out of it. "Let's go up and see Jethro. You'll see that I'm telling the truth."

Tony shook his head adamantly "He doesn't want me there. He told me to get out."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, Tony. He's injured and has suffered a great loss, but he cares about you very much."

"He cares about his family more than anyone. That's the way its supposed to be." Tony's head was pounding again and he was starting to feel a little bit nauseous. He wanted Ducky to just stop talking.

"Shannon and Kelly are gone. They've been gone for a very long time. You, my dear boy, are still here and thankfully are very much alive."

Tony said nothing. He was tired of listening to Ducky speak. Maybe if he stopped replying, he would just go away and leave him alone.

Ducky sighed. Perhaps if Tony got a good night's sleep, things would look better to him in the morning. He had wanted to go up and see Jethro, but it was obviously more important to get Tony home. "Come on, Anthony. I'm going to take you home so you can get some much needed rest."

Tony shook his head. "Don't have keys. They were in Gibbs' house." Along with his wallet, gun and cell phone. If it bothered him to lose those small items, he couldn't begin to imagine what Gibbs was feeling right now.

"Well then you'll come and stay with me tonight. I'll take you to your landlord to see about getting a new key in the morning then we will come and pay Jethro a visit, alright?" Ducky knew Tony could very easily get into his apartment if he wanted to, but it was very obvious that the boy wasn't thinking clearly at all. He badly needed to rest.

Tony fought not to roll his eyes. Ducky wasn't going to give up. He was going to have to pretend to go along with him. It was probably the only way he'd be able to get away from him. "I...I don't want to leave before you check on Gibbs. That's why you came here, isn't it?"

"I came to check on both of you. Right now, I think I need to get you out of here. You need to sleep."

"Can't you check on Gibbs first? Please, Ducky?" Tony asked with a pleading look. "I won't be able to sleep if you don't."

Ducky sighed. "Alright, Anthony. Come along. We'll go check on Jethro and then I will take you home."

"I already told you...he doesn't want me with him," Tony protested. "I can't go with you. I'll just wait here."

Ducky looked at Tony suspiciously. "I'm sorry, Tony, but I'm not comfortable with that. You either have to come with me or we are leaving right now to head to my home.

"Wow, Ducky...if I didn't know any better I would think you don't trust me," Tony said giving his very best wounded look. "I'll stay right here. I promise."

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" Ducky asked.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Ducky..." Tony looked back at Ducky and the medical examiner decided to take him at his word.

"I won't be long at all," Ducky stated.

"I'll wait here."

Tony watched as Ducky headed down the corridor and waited a few minutes more. He wouldn't put it past him to come back to make sure he was staying put. He felt badly about blatantly lying to and manipulating the older man, but he just needed to be by himself right now. He would apologize later on. Ducky would forgive him eventually. Taking a deep breath and steadying himself against a brief wave of dizziness, Tony left the ER and headed out into the cold, dark night.


	7. Chapter 7

Ducky made his way to Jethro's room and was pleased to find him sleeping soundly and apparently peacefully. He knew that the loss of his home was a devastating blow, but he had confidence that Jethro would overcome it as he had so many other challenges in the past. Satisfied with Jethro's condition, Ducky secured the blankets around him a bit more tightly and then took his leave. Under different circumstances, he would have stayed with Jethro through the night, but he could not leave Tony on his own for too long. He stepped into an elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. When he arrived back in the area where he had left Tony, the agent was nowhere to be seen. Trying not to panic, Ducky checked the men's room and the vending machine area, then walked over to the cafeteria, but there was no sign of him. Sighing heavily, Ducky realized he had been duped and that he had no idea at all where Tony could have gone.

xxxxx

Tony wandered the streets aimlessly. He paid no attention to where he was going and was only vaguely aware of how cold it was and that he had no jacket. All he could think about was Gibbs' home burning down and the way the bright flames had lit up the night sky. He still couldn't believe it had happened. He felt sick to his stomach over it and he knew that Gibbs would never forgive him. He might as well have torched the place himself. He finally began to feel the cold and realized that he was shivering. As he walked along the deserted streets, he started to feel guilty for what he had done to Ducky, on top of his guilt over the fire. The man had only been trying to help him and Tony had blatantly lied to him and then just taken off. He knew that Ducky would be beside himself with worry. What he had done was unfair and it didn't even make sense. He couldn't just roam around all night long. He found himself in front of a 24 hour convenience store and went inside.

A bored-appearing elderly cashier looked up as the bells on the door jingled. Henry Sawyer glanced curiously at Tony, mentally noting his unkempt appearance and the fact that he was not wearing a coat, but made no comment. He had worked the overnight shift in this store for almost 10 years now and during that time had seen all kinds of people. He had retired from his job as a stockbroker with the intention of spending his golden years traveling with his lovely wife, Helen, but fate had been cruel. Helen had suffered a sudden heart attack only six months into his retirement and had passed away. His children and grandchildren had rallied around him, but Henry had never been able to bear the long nights alone and had taken the job as a night clerk to help ease his pain.

Tony felt immediately better as he stepped inside the store and the warmth embraced him. "Hi," he greeted the man behind the counter. "Do you have a phone I can use?"

"Run into some car trouble did ya?" Henry asked with open curiosity.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, something like that. I need to call someone to pick me up."

"Pay phone is over there in the back of the store," Henry said, pointing.

"Thanks." Tony smiled at the man and headed towards the phone then realized he had absolutely no clue where he was. He walked back to the cashier. "Hey, what's the address of this place?" he asked.

"209 Willowbrook Road," Henry replied, then realized that the young man might not have change to use the phone. "Do you have money to make your call?" he asked.

"Uh, no, I was just going to call collect,"" Tony answered sheepishly.

"No need for that." Henry reached into his pants pocket and dug out some change which he handed to Tony. "This should be more than enough."

"Thanks a lot. I'll pay you back," Tony said gratefully. His stomach suddenly rumbled loudly and he realized he was starving.

"No need for that, its only some pocket change," Henry laughed. "Now go make your call, young fella and then you can grab yourself a package of Twinkies or something while you wait, on the house."

Tony grinned. "Thanks, I might just take you up on that."

xxxxx

"Damn bitch." Warren Albright slammed the top of the steering wheel wheel with his hand. He was so sick of his wife nagging at him about money. He worked hard and had a right to buy cigarettes and beer. If she didn't like it, she could get off her lazy ass and go get a job.

"You need to show her who's boss," Lou Reynolds drawled from the passenger seat of the car. "I would never let my old lady talk to me like that."

"Yeah well, your old lady has a job, its different. Mine is grabbing for my paycheck the minute I get the damn thing. She tries to get her hands on every penny I make. The kids are always needing new shoes or clothes and the price of food is through the roof."

"What you need, my friend, is a second income."

Warren gave Lou a look of disgust. "Are you kidding me? No way in hell Angela is gonna get a job until Billy's in school. She refuses to work nights and I sure as hell ain't working two jobs."

"I didn't say you needed another job. I said you need a second income. Big difference," Lou smirked. He spotted the convenience store up ahead and he decided to give Warren a much-needed lesson in the fine art of income supplementation. "Pull up over there. I want to get a soda."

"Soda? Whatever." Warren shook his head, but did as his friend directed. He sure as hell could use a drink too, but soda definitely would not be his beverage of choice.

xxxxx

"Hey, Ducky, its me..."

"Anthony," Ducky felt both relief and a burst of anger to hear the voice on the other end of the phone. "I could wring your neck. Where on earth are you?"

"I'm really sorry, Ducky. I don't even know why I left the way I did. I just wasn't thinking. I really am sorry." He glanced towards the front of the store as he heard the jingle of the door, but he couldn't see who came in over the highly stacked shelves. He turned his attention back to the phone.

"Its alright," Ducky replied. He had been about to make calls to members of the team in order to organize a search for Tony and was relieved that he no longer had to. The most important thing right now was to get Tony home and into bed. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. Now where can I pick you up?"

Tony gave the address to Ducky and hung up the phone, then started walking back towards the front of the store. He stopped short in shock as he saw the elderly cashier slumped over the front counter . One man was pulling money from the cash register while his companion looked on, seemingly horrified.

"What did you do? What the hell did you do, Lou?" Warren cried out in absolute panic. He had heard no shot, hadn't even realized what had happened until the old man fell forward with a gaping wound in his chest.

"Shut up! You heard him. He fucking defied me. Nobody EVER defies me!" Lou turned away from the register. His eyes lit up as he spotted Tony and their eyes locked. Smiling maliciously and without missing a beat, he pointed the gun and pulled the trigger.

Before he had a chance to move, Tony felt a sudden, searing pain in his head and dropped heavily to the floor. He briefly thought that this was definitely not how he had pictured his life ending, not very heroic at all...he then succumbed to the irresistible darkness that beckoned him.

"Come on Warren," Lou snarled as he headed towards the front door, grabbing a couple of bags of chips on his way out. "I don't think you want to be here when the cops arrive."

They fled to the car and Lou grabbed the keys out of Warren's hand. "I'm driving." His tone left no room for argument. His whole body shaking, Warren did as the other man said. He was in no shape to be driving anyway.

"Why...why did you do that?" Warren stammered as Lou pulled the car out of the small parking lot and sped away from the scene of the crime. "You...you killed two people...how...how could you do it? How?"

"Will you shut the hell up," Lou snapped. "You sound more annoying than your friggen wife. Anyhow, I didn't kill them...WE did."

"What? I...I never...You're the one who did it. I didn't know...I didn't know."

Yeah, well you just try to tell the cops that one. No one is going to believe you. They'll throw your ass in the slammer before you can get the words out of your mouth." He flung the cash at Warren. "Here. Count it."

Warren counted the money, his hands trembling as he did so. "Seventy eight dollars," he whispered. Two men were dead over seventy eight dollars. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Well that kinda sucks, doesn't it?" Lou laughed. "I was hoping for more. I'll tell you what, though. You can keep all of it. Kind of an opening night bonus. Next time we'll try a liquor store or something like that, much more profitable."

"Next time?" Warren asked, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.

"Yeah, next time," Lou stated self-assuredly. "I'm in need of a new partner. My last one..." He paused for dramatic effect. "Shall we just say... died in a rather unfortunate accident..."

Warren couldn't miss the implied threat in Lou's tone. His heart sinking, he realized that he was in a whole world of trouble.

xxxxx

Gibbs awoke with his head pounding mercilessly. Massaging his temples gently, he looked around and found himself in a private room, for which he was grateful. He certainly didn't feel like making conversation. It took him a few moments to recall exactly what had happened and then came the realization that his home, and likely everything inside of, it was lost forever. His thoughts turned to Tony and he vaguely recalled that he had sent his agent home to rest. He hoped DiNozzo had done as requested. The more he thought about it though, the more he realized that in Tony's frame of mind, he would likely perceive his request as a punishment and not concern for the younger man's well being as he had intended. In a startling moment of clarity, Gibbs knew that Tony would be beating himself up over what had happened and Gibbs sending him off would have only served to reinforce his guilt.

Damn...This wasn't good...it wasn't good at all...

xxxxx

Ducky pulled his car into the parking lot of the convenience store. As he got out of his vehicle, he had a sudden feeling of foreboding. He scanned the dark parking lot with his eyes, but no one seemed to be around. He then headed towards the front entrance and opened the door. As he entered the store, he immediately spotted a man lying across the counter. Apprehensively, Ducky approached him and tried to find a pulse, but couldn't. The unfortunate man was dead. His heart pounding uncontrollably, Ducky turned away from the victim as he searched for Tony. It only took seconds to spot the still figure lying on the floor about 12 feet away. His thoughts turned back to that other fateful day when they had thought Anthony had been blown up in the car explosion. This time, there was no doubt to the identity of the man lying on the floor. His body suddenly icy cold, Ducky walked over to Tony and knelt down beside him. He was lying on his side with a badly bleeding head wound, his right arm twisted in an awkward angle underneath him. Ducky breathed a huge sigh of relief when he discovered that Tony was indeed breathing and his pulse was strong.

"I'm going to get you some help, my boy," Ducky said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. "Help will be here soon..."


	8. Chapter 8

Tony slowly started to come around in the ambulance. He opened his eyes and searched about, frightened and disoriented.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me? Can you tell me your name?"

Tony's eyes focused on the young paramedic who was speaking to him. "I...my...my name is Tony...Tony DiNozzo...wh...what happened?"

"There, there, my dear boy. You just lie still. Everything is going to be alright." Ducky's face moved into his field of vision and Tony felt a bit calmer just knowing that Ducky was there. He knew he would take care of him.

"Ducky? What happened to me?"

The ambulance came to a sudden halt and moments later the doors opened and Tony felt himself being quickly transported into the hospital. The blur of fast-moving lights and faces above him made Tony feel slightly dizzy and he closed his eyes. He could hear a blend of voices talking to him, asking him questions, but was too tired to care or try to respond and he slipped back into blissful unawareness once again.

xxxxx

Ducky quietly entered Jethro's new room. Ducky had made the request for Gibbs to be transferred into a double room and imagined he hadn't been too pleased about it. He sat down in the hard chair by his bed and sighed softly. This night was just getting worse and worse. First, the fire and now the holdup. When he had found the dead clerk at the convenience store, he had been so sure he would find Anthony dead as well. In truth, the wound he had sustained had appeared to be much worse than it actually was. It was little more than a graze really, though the effects were far from pleasant. This, in addition to the concussion the boy had sustained two days ago, were not a good combination. Currently, the wound was being cleaned and stitched. There was also the matter of Tony's right wrist, which appeared to be fractured. X-rays were going to be taken and a cast applied, if necessary. After that, Tony would be transferred into Gibbs' room. Ducky was unsure of how long he had been sitting there when Jethro's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Duck?"

"Ahh, Jethro. Its good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" Ducky asked, looking at his old friend with concern.

"I'm fine, Ducky," Gibbs answered automatically, then coughed hoarsely. "Throat's a little dry," he admitted.

"I'll get you some water." Ducky retrieved the small plastic pitcher from the nightstand and went off to fill it, returning a few minutes later. He poured some cool liquid into the plastic cup and handed it to Gibbs who sipped gratefully.

"Thanks...what time is it anyway?"

Ducky glanced at his watch. "4:15," he answered.

Gibbs asked as he glanced towards the window and saw that it was dark outside. "Its the middle of the night...what the hell are you doing here? I'm not badly hurt."

Ducky didn't respond to the question and with a lurch in his midsection, Gibbs suddenly knew something was wrong. "What's happened?"

"Now, Jethro, its nothing to get upset about," Ducky began soothingly. "He's going to be just fine."

"Tony?" Gibbs asked, knowing it was his senior field agent even before the look in Ducky's eyes confirmed it to be true. It was always Tony.

"Yes," Ducky nodded hesitantly. "Unfortunately, the boy was involved in a convenience store holdup, but as I said, Jethro, he's going to be okay."

"A holdup?" Gibbs' gut churned with fear and anger as he let loose. "What the hell...I told him to go home, Duck. I just wanted him to go home and get some rest. Why couldn't he do that? Why couldn't he just do as I asked? What the hell was he doing in a convenience store anyway?" He knew the question was a stupid one as soon as it left his lips. There were a multitude of reasons why DiNozzo would have gone to a convenience store. "What happened to him anyway? Was..." The words died in his throat as the door to his room entered and Tony was wheeled in on a gurney. His eyes were closed and he appeared disturbingly still and vulnerable. He and Ducky watched wordlesssly as Tony was efficiently transferred to the bed and just a few short minutes later, the three men were left alone.

xxxxx

"Do you know what time it is?" Angela Albright hissed as her husband climbed into bed beside her.

"Yeah, contrary to what you may think, I do know how to tell time," Warren replied sarcastically.

"Where have you been? I'm sick of you being out all hours leaving me alone with these kids morning, noon and night."

"Yeah and I'm out having a friggen ball for myself every day. How about we trade places? Why don't you spend your days in the factory and I'll sit on my ass all day watching Billy."

"You lousy son of a bitch. If you think its so easy being in the house with these kids, why aren't you ever here?"

"Cause I can't stand to listen to your incessant whining."

"Well maybe if you lifted a finger to help me around here once in a while, you wouldn't have to," she said, her eyes flashing angrily.

"I have a right to relax."

"Yeah, hanging out with that no good Lou Reynolds. You mark my words, it'll lead to nothing but trouble."

"I'm going to sleep." He turned away from her, struck by the truth of her words. Every time he closed his eyes though, he saw the shocked looks on the faces of the men Lou had shot. It all seemed like a nightmare, but he knew it was all true. He once again thought about calling the police, but Lou's words haunted him. He was very much afraid that he would be blamed as Lou had said he would. He just couldn't take that chance. It would destroy the lives of him and his family.

xxxxx

"What exactly happened to him?" Gibbs whispered after the transport team had left the room. There was a row of neatly placed stitches on the side of Tony's head which were very visible as the hair in that area had been shaved. His right arm was encased in a cast.

"He received a bullet graze to the head and broke his wrist, I'm assuming, in the fall. It was bent under him in an awkward position when I found him."

"Someone shot him in the head?" Gibbs asked, speaking much louder than he had intended. He was obviously furious. His thoughts immediately went to Kate and he shuddered involuntarily, realizing how close Tony had come to sharing the same fate.

"Well...whoever it was tried, but was unsuccessful," Ducky said.

Gibbs stared at Tony for a long moment then looked back at Ducky. "Wait a minute...you found him? Where? Were you driving him home?"

"Well...I did intend to drive him home, but as you can see, it didn't really work out that way," Ducky stated. He walked over to Tony's bedside as he spoke, nervously straightening the covers over the sleeping man.

Gibbs looked at Ducky suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me, Duck?" he asked softly.

"Oh Jethro. Its really not important. I don't see any sense in getting into it at this late hour. You both need your rest."

"Tony 'is' resting and I'm not tired," Gibbs replied. The more evasive Ducky was, the more convinced Gibbs was that there was something more he needed to know.

"You may not be tired, but I am. I am going to head home now," Ducky said, making one last effort to avoid this particular topic of conversation.

"Come on, Ducky...you know I'm going to find out..."

"Alright, but this is against my better judgement." Ducky realized Gibbs was not going to give up. He was like a dog with a bone. "Earlier this evening, I was awaiting word on your condition, when Anthony walked by me looking, for lack of a better term, shell-shocked."

Gibbs closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them again and stared back at Ducky. "Go on."

"Well...he was quite upset about what had happened to your home..."

"He was blaming himself," Gibbs stated knowingly.

Ducky nodded. "Yes...he believes you blame him as well."

"Crap. I don't blame him, Ducky. I never did. I just wanted him to go home and get some rest. He's been through hell the last few days."

Ducky shook his head slowly. "You don't need to explain this to me, Jethro. I'm not the one who needs convincing."

"So what happened next?" Jethro questioned. "Did you stop at the convenience store on the way home?"

Ducky shook his head, looking a little bit embarressed. "No, nothing as simple as that, I'm afraid..."

"What then?"

"I came up here to check on you. Anthony refused to accompany me. He was certain you wouldn't want him there. I should have known better than to leave him down there alone in the state he was in...I knew something was very off with him..."

"So, he just left? He walked out in the middle of the night?" Gibbs asked, feeling a little surge of anger at his agent.

Ducky nodded. "I really think the boy may have been in shock, Jethro. I only wish I had insisted he be examined more thoroughly. If I had, this never would have happened."

"Wouldn't have happened if I had just let him stay, either, Duck," Gibbs said with a heavy sigh. "I don't think blaming ourselves is the answer. I just need to work things out with him." He glanced over at Tony again. He seemed to be deeply asleep which Gibbs was grateful for. "So, what happened with the holdup?"

"Tony called me from the convenience store, which was a couple of miles away from the hospital. Evidently, he came to his senses and wanted me to pick him up. When I got there...the store clerk was slumped over the front counter..he was dead..."

Gibbs drew in his breath sharply. This story was becoming more and more disturbing.

"I then found Anthony lying in the aisle...there was so much blood...at first..." he trailed off , but Gibbs knew what he had been going to say.

"Thank God you weren't there when it happened. You could have been hurt as well..." Or worse. Whoever had done this obviously had no problem with taking a human life.

"Yes, well, I'm perfectly fine. Its Anthony we need to worry about and that poor soul who was so callously murdered in cold blood."

"The store clerk is dead?" The question startled both men as they turned toward Tony who stared back at them, looking very pale and noticeably distressed.

Gibbs groaned inwardly. Could this damn night get any worse?

xxxxx

Lou sat in his recliner, his eyes glued to the television set. He was sipping from a beer bottle, his nerves taut with anticipation. It was time for the 4:30 a.m. local news and he fully expected to be a part of it. He was not disappointed.

"An apparent convenience store holdup left one man dead and another man wounded."

"What?" Lou growled in horror, his stomach immediately flip flopping at this unanticipated development.

"Henry Sawyer, the store clerk, was found dead on the scene. Another yet to be identified man was also wounded and was brought to the Bethesda Naval Hospital. No word is currently available on his condition."

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Lou flung the beer bottle at the wall, watching as it impacted and shattered into pieces.

"Lou? Lou, sweetie, what's wrong?" His girlfriend, Charlotte, came scurrying into the living room.

"Nothing's wrong. Pick up that damn mess," he ordered. Charlotte immediately went off to retrieve a dustpan and brush. She then knelt down on the floor and began to clean up the shattered glass.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong? I can make you some tea." She looked up at him with her big doe eyes and he had to fight his urge to punch her

"I don't want any damn tea!" What the hell was wrong with this woman? She was just asking for another beating. He quickly left the room and went to the bedroom, slamming the door loudly behind him, He couldn't believe the guy was alive. Of course, they hadn't given any information about his condition. Maybe he was on death's door. But what if he was doing okay?

His late father's words came back to him. "Never leave a witness to tell a tale, Louie boy," he had said repeatedly. It was sound advice that Lou had always tried to follow. No witnesses made things nice and tidy and that was just how he liked it.

Lou knew what he had to do. He was going to have to hunt this guy down and make sure his mouth was shut permanently...


	9. Chapter 9

"The store clerk is dead?" Tony repeated the question, his eyes focused on Ducky.

"Yes, I'm quite sure he was killed instantly. There wasn't anything you could have done." Ducky went to Tony and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"He shot me in the head," Tony stated matter-of-factly as Gibbs and Ducky exchanged a concerned look. He tried to lift his arm and for the first time noticed the cast. "Did I break my arm?"

"You broke your wrist," Ducky said, nodding. "Six weeks or so in a cast and you'll be as good as new."

Tony shook his head as he stared at the cast. "I don't remember breaking my arm...he shot me in the head..."

"You hurt your arm when you fell. The bullet didn't actually penetrate, Anthony," Ducky explained gently. "You have a nasty graze on the side of your head, but you're going to be fine."

"But he still shot me," Tony said with a little more feeling. He reached up to the side of his head with his left hand and lightly traced the stitches and the shaved area with his fingertips. He was desperately trying to make some kind of sense out of all that had happened during this long nightmarish night. "He smiled when he pulled the trigger." The smile hadn't reached the man's eyes though. They had been cold and unfeeling. Chilling was a good way to describe the man. Tony didn't think he would be forgetting him any time soon.

"He smiled?" Gibbs asked. Hearing that only increased his fury.

Tony turned his head towards Gibbs, but didn't respond. It was the first time he had really realized that Gibbs was in the room even though he had been vaguely aware of his presence.

"I really should get going," Ducky stated, knowing that the other two men had things that needed to be sorted out.

"Do you have to?" Tony asked, a note of pleading in his voice as he looked at Ducky. "We need to talk about what I did."

"Not to worry my boy," Ducky said. "We will have our chance to talk, but I dare say it is more important for you and Jethro to do so right now."

Tony nodded reluctantly, knowing that Ducky was not going to change his mind. "Thanks Ducky...I'm really sorry..."

"Just concentrate on getting better, Anthony," Ducky said with a faint smile. "That's the most important thing right now." He turned towards Gibbs. "Jethro, I'll see you at some point tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks, Duck. Get some rest."

With that, Ducky was out the door, leaving Tony and Gibbs alone.

"Who would have thought we'd both be in the hospital with concussions at the same time," Tony said after a few moments of awkward silence. "Its quite the concussion conundrum." He laughed humorlessly. "Think we should have a concussion contest, boss? Rate the concussion categories on a scale of zero to five. Dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, nausea, memory loss and lastly, but arguably most important of all...drum roll, please...headache!"

"Do you really have all those symptoms, Tony?" Gibbs asked with a hint of worry in his voice. He was pretty sure Tony was joking, but sometimes he tried to hide the truth that way as well.

"Scale of ZERO to five, boss," Tony answered with a sigh. "No. I don't. Though memory loss would be welcome right about now."

"You don't mean that."

Tony didn't say anything. He began to lightly drum on his cast with the fingertips of his left hand.

"Come on, DiNozzo...talk to me."

"I don't know what you want me to say...I'm sorry really doesn't seem to cut it."

"You know how I feel about apologies anyhow."

"Aren't there exceptions for burning someone's house down, boss?"

"You didn't burn my house down, Tony. Did you light the fire yourself? I'm not even sure how you can be blaming yourself for that. It doesn't make sense."

"Bittner was right. If he had just blown me up when he had the chance, it never would have happened."

"Do you know how ridiculous you sound?" Gibbs snapped. "Do you really wish you'd been killed? Do you really think that would have made me happy?"

"No...I guess it wouldn't have made you happy," Tony said miserably. "I just wish I had heard Bittner go into your house though...If I had, I could have done something to stop him."

"Well, I did hear him. I heard him and he knocked me out. Whole lot of good that did me. Speaking of which...how did I get out of the house anyhow?"

"I got you out, boss," Tony admitted quietly.

"So, you saved my life, Tony. Doesn't that count for something? You kind of glossed right over that little fact, didn't you?"

"Didn't save the convenience store clerk though, did I? Poor old guy. He was really nice to me. He has a federal agent in his store when its held up and still ends up dead. He didn't deserve that. Hell, I had no idea what was even going on until I stumbled right on top of them. And then it was too late."

"Don't you ever get tired of beating yourself up?" Gibbs asked, shaking his head. "You have an answer for everything. If it wasn't the store clerk it would be something else. You didn't even have a gun, did you? What exactly happened in that store, anyhow?"

"I'd kind of like to hear the answer to that myself."

Tony and Gibbs both looked toward the doorway at the middle-aged man who was entering the room. "Detective Brian Morris," he said as he showed his badge and credentials. "I've been assigned to investigate this case."

Tony and Gibbs introduced themselves to the detective.

"You feeling up to answering some questions?" Detective Morris asked Tony as he pulled out a notepad and pen.

Tony nodded. "Yeah sure, no problem."

"Okay. Why don't you tell me what happened."

"I was making a phone call in the back of the store."

"Who were you calling?"

"Dr. Donald Mallard. I needed a ride. I asked if he could pick me up."

"Yes, I spoke with him briefly at the scene," Morris said with a nod. "Alright, go on."

"I heard someone enter the store, but I didn't really pay attention to who it was...figured it was just a customer...guess I shouldn't have assumed that..."

"Could you see who it was?"

"No, not then," Tony said, shaking his head. "The shelves were stacked too high."

The detective nodded, indicating that Tony should continue. "I finished my phone call and walked back to the front of he store. The..the store clerk was lying across the counter. I...I think he was already dead. I never heard a shot so there must have been a silencer on the gun. There were two men. I think only one of them had a gun, at least that was all I saw. He was grabbing cash out of the register. The other guy looked real skittish. Anyhow, the one with the gun...I don't think he even said anything to me. He just smiled, aimed his gun and fired...That's the last thing I remember until I woke up in the ambulance..."

Gibbs had been watching Tony closely during his recollection of the chain of events at the convenience store. When he had mentioned the guy who fired at him, he'd seen something in his agent's eyes. Gibbs wasn't exactly sure what it was, maybe fear, maybe something else. It had only lasted a second or two, but Gibbs could see that Tony was more shaken by being shot that way then he was letting on. He was going to have to keep a close eye on him.

Morris finished scribbling his notes and looked back at Tony. "Is there anything else that you can think of?"

"No...not right now."

"How about the men themselves? Do you think you could give me a physical description? Unfortunately, there was no surveillance camera set up in the store."

Tony proceeded to provide Morris with a physical description of the men. He was able to provide a great deal more detail on the man who had actually shot him than his companion. Then, as he thought back, something triggered his memory. What did you do? What the hell did you do, Lou? "The guy with the gun...the other guy called him Lou," he remembered.

"Lou? Are you sure?" Morris asked, unable to hide his excitement.

"I'm sure," Tony nodded.

"I'm going to run the description and name through our system and see what pops up, Hopefully, we'll come up with something. Will you be willing to look through pictures or work with our sketch artist if I need you to?"

"Of course, whatever you need," Tony replied, nodding.

"Thanks. You've been a big help. Here's my card in case you remember anything else. I'll be in touch." The men shook hands and the detective went on his way.

"You did good," Gibbs commented once they were alone again.

"Yeah, I'm great at helping out after crimes have been committed, just no good at preventing them."

"Why don't you get some sleep," Gibbs suggested. Tony looked exhausted. Maybe some rest would help to improve his frame of mind.

"Yeah, okay. I'll try. You should do the same."

The two men tried to get as comfortable as they could in the not so comfortable beds. Tony fell asleep first under Gibbs' watchful eye. He couldn't help but be worried about the younger man and all he had been going through. He also found that focusing on Tony helped to take his mind off his own situation and the fact that he was now homeless. He would have to call his insurance company and begin to get things straightened out. He glanced over at Tony as he mumbled something in his sleep, but then settled back down again. Finally, exhausted himself, Gibbs too, dropped off to sleep.

xxxxx

"What are you doing here?" Warren asked. He had been just about to get into his car to head to work when Lou had showed up out of nowhere.

"What kind of a greeting is that?"

"I don't have time for games right now. I need to get to work."

"Call in sick."

"I'm not calling in sick. I'm not risking my job."

Lou narrowed his eyes. "I need your help with something."

"I said no." Warren shook his head adamantly. "What are you planning now, a bank robbery?"

"I'm going over to the hospital. Seems that customer in the store is still alive. He can identify us. I need to take care of him."

Warren's eyes widened in horror. "You're going to just walk into the hospital and blow him away? Are you fucking crazy?"

"I don't know if I'm going to do anything at the hospital," Lou growled. "I'm just trying to get some info on the guy. I don't even know his name. I need to find that out."

"Well, you can do that without me," Warren retorted as he opened his car door. "I'm going to work."

"Fine, but next time I need you, I'm not taking no for an answer."

Warren didn't say anything to that. He slammed his car door shut and started up his car. At first, he had actually felt happy to learn one of the guys had survived the shooting. But, the identification thing was a real problem. He realized that Lou was right. The only way they would truly be safe was if they made sure he was never able to testify against them.

xxxxx

Tony felt amazingly at peace as he walked along. He had no idea where he was, but it was a beautiful place. The grass was lush and green and there were flowers everywhere, a virtual rainbow of every color one could imagine. He walked along a cobblestone path until he came upon a bench with a little girl sitting on it. There was a jump rope on the ground at her feet and she was sobbing as if her heart would break.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently as he sat down beside her on the bench. "Nothing can be that bad, can it?"

"Yes it can," she managed to gasp between sobs. "It...its horrible."

"Well why don't you tell me about whatever it is," he suggested. "My name is Tony. Sometimes it helps to talk about your problems to someone. Maybe I can help."

"You can't help. No one can help."

"Well, why don't you give me a try? It can't hurt anyway."

She lifted her head and looked at Tony and he inhaled sharply when he saw her eyes. They were vivid and intense, the eyes of her father, and he knew at once who this child was.

"Someone burned my daddy's house down," she said woefully. "It was the only place I could ever go to see him. Now I can never, ever see my daddy again. "

"What?" he paled as he listened to her, feeling sick inside. "Why...why can't you just go see him somewhere else?"

"It doesn't work that way," she sniffled, as she began to cry again. "I hate whoever did this. I hate him, hate him, hate him! My daddy hates him too. We both do. We hate him and we hope he dies!"

Even though he hadn't committed the act himself, he couldn't help but feel that her words were directed at him. "I'm sorry...I...I'm so sorry..." He stood up and began to run. He just needed to get away, he needed to escape from this child and her grief , though he knew he would never be able to get far enough away to escape what he had done...

His heart pounding out of control, Tony awoke and found Gibbs standing beside his bed, looking worriedly down at him.

"Are you alright?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm fine, boss...you should get back in bed..." He took a deep breath, then slowly sat up and ran his hand shakily back through his sweat-soaked hair.

"You sure you're okay?"

Tony nodded. "I'm positive." He watched as Gibbs got back into his bed and pulled the covers up over himself. "You don't even have anywhere to live..." he said to himself. He'd been so focused on himself and how he had been messing up that he hadn't really been thinking about Gibbs.

"What was that, Tony?"

"Do you want to stay at my place when you get out of here?" he blurted out.

Gibbs considered the question for a long moment. "Do you have enough room?" he finally asked. "I don't want to put you out..."

"I have an extra bedroom. You won't be putting me out, boss..."

Gibbs had just assumed he would just stay with Ducky for the time being, but when he saw the way Tony was intently waiting for his reply, he realized what he needed to do. "Sure...I'll stay with you, DiNozzo... thanks."

"You're welcome." A small smile flitted across Tony's lips. This would at least be a start towards making amends for all the turmoil he had caused in Gibbs' life.

"Let's see if we can get a little bit more sleep." Staying with Tony would definitely be an interesting experience, but more importantly, it would provide Gibbs with the perfect opportunity to keep a close watch over his agent.


	10. Chapter 10

Gibbs awoke to find Tony sitting up in bed, staring back at him with an unwavering gaze. "Something wrong?" Gibbs asked, a little bit grumpily, not particularly pleased to find himself being watched while he'd been asleep.

"Sleep well, boss?" Tony asked with a smirk, pointedly ignoring the question.

"Evidently better than you," Gibbs replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good actually," Tony replied. He definitely wasn't one hundred percent, but considering how close he had come to being killed, he was surprised that he didn't feel much worse. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well," Gibbs answered His headache had dulled considerably and he was antsy to get out of the hospital. He didn't want to stay there a second longer than necessary. "What time is it anyway?"

"Ten past seven."

Gibbs sighed. It was still early. Time had a way of standing still in hospitals. He just wanted to leave. There was a lot that needed to be taken care of. He also wanted to get over to his house, or rather what was left of his house. He wanted to see the damage in the light of day and see if there was anything left that could be salvaged.

"I know how you feel about apologies, boss, but..."

Gibbs looked back at Tony and realized he just needed to let the other man speak his mind. "Alright, DiNozzo...go ahead, get it off your chest."

"I really am sorry about your house, boss...I know how much it meant to you and I'm sorry that my being there caused this to happen..."

"What did you ever do to Bittner, Tony?" Gibbs asked quietly after a few moments. He wanted to get the words just right, wanting them to sink into his agent's head once and for all.

"What? I...I didn't do anything to him," Tony admitted, having a good idea where Gibbs was going with this.

"That's right," Gibbs said, nodding. "You did nothing. You weren't involved in the original case where he was wrongly imprisoned. You never even knew this guy. You did nothing except almost become murder victim number three of a sick, twisted man. It was totally random...not your fault. I wanted you at my house, DiNozzo and I do not regret that decision. Yes, I'm upset about what happened, but I will get over it and I'd much rather have lost my house than to have lost you."

"I know you're right, boss, but..."

"There are no buts," Gibbs interrupted. "This is all on Bittner. This was in no way your fault."

Tony said nothing, but still looked doubtful. "Come on, Tony," Gibbs coaxed. "If this was anyone else would you think it was their fault?"

"I...I guess not," Tony replied reluctantly.

"Good answer." Gibbs nodded, realizing he would have to be satisfied with that for now. They were both going to need time to come to terms with all that had happened. At least Bittner was safely behind bars which was more than could be said for the convenience store holdup men. "Now about what happened in the holdup last night. We have to deal with the possibility that these guys from the convenience store could come after you."

Tony's first instinct was to deny what Gibbs said, but he knew in his heart it was a likely possibility. "Hopefully they won't find out who I am until we get them." He had every intention of getting them. It wasn't an NCIS case, but he didn't care. It was personal now.

"You can't even shoot a gun," Gibbs reminded him.

I can learn to shoot with my left hand, boss."

Gibbs shook his head, "Sorry, but once you're cleared to go back to work, you're on desk duty until your arm is healed. No arguments." He was not about to let DiNozzo out in the field with his arm in a cast. It could result in him or someone else being hurt.

"Yeah, I know that, boss. I'm not stupid." Tony retorted, rolling his eyes.

Gibbs held back from slapping Tony's head, which was his first instinct at the show of disrespect from his agent. Tony saw the icy look in Gibbs' eyes and immediately apologized. "Sorry."

"Forget it," Gibbs said gruffly. He knew that neither of them were in the best of moods at the moment. Just then, the doctor and a pair of eager-appearing interns came into the room. After questioning them and performing examinations, he pronounced that they were both fit to be released. He just needed to get their discharge papers taken care of and they would be good to go.

xxxxx

Lou was getting nowhere fast. He had been wandering around the hospital all morning, but still had no idea who the man in the store was or what his condition might be. He was getting more and more aggravated. He had been sure someone would be gossiping about what had happened. He had even spent a good deal of time drinking coffee in the hospital cafeteria, trying to eavesdrop, but it hadn't helped at all. No one had spoken a word about the events of the previous night. Maybe the guy was already dead and it just hadn't been announced yet. He found that possibility to be very cheering. Hopefully it was true. Realizing he wasn't going to have any luck within the confines of the hospital, he headed outside and parked himself on a bench to contemplate his next move.

He couldn't believe his good fortune with what happened next. Two men in wheelchairs were brought out of the hospital, one of whom was the man he had shot. He had no idea who his companion was, but they obviously knew each other as they were chatting easily to each other. "You're losing your touch, Lou, old boy," he muttered to himself as he observed them. He was shocked that the guy hadn't been hurt worse, but at least he had him in his sights now. He automatically reached for his gun, but then pulled back. He couldn't just shoot the guy out in front of a hospital in broad daylight. There were people milling about everywhere. Too many witnesses. He would never get away with it.

He looked across the street where his car was illegally parked. There was a ticket on the windshield, but luckily it hadn't been towed. He decided his best course of action was to simply follow the guy and see what opportunities presented themselves. He trotted over to his car and waited, never taking his eyes from the man he had shot. He didn't have long to wait. A car finally approached and stopped in front of where they were waiting. An elderly man then got out of the car and patiently waited while the men got inside. He closed the door after Lou's victim had gotten into the back seat of the car and then made his way back to the driver's seat. Lou gave them a small head start and then began his pursuit, his heart pounding in excitement.

The chase was on!

xxxxx

"Ducky?" Gibbs, who was seated in the front passenger side of Ducky's car turned towards the older gentleman and spoke very quietly. "Do you mind if we stop at McGee's place first?"

"Of course not, Jethro. May I ask why though?"

"I want to drop Tony off there before we go do that other thing. We'll pick him up a little bit later."

"What do you need to do?" Tony asked. Even though Gibbs had kept his voice down, he hadn't missed a word. "I don't want to go to McGee's." He couldn't help but be irritated, feeling like an unwanted kid who was about to be dropped off with the babysitter.

"Well then you'll go to Ziva's. Your choice. I don't want you staying alone...just in case..."

"I choose to go with you."

"Not an option."

"Where are you going? What's the big secret anyway?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"Its not a big secret...I just need to take care of something...alone..."

"You won't be alone...Ducky will be with you..."

"Yeah well..." Gibbs couldn't really think of anything to say to that. He managed to stop himself from just telling DiNozzo that it was none of his business. This was for his own good. "Its personal. Can't you just do what I'm asking?"

"Fine." Tony didn't like being kept out of the loop, but he wasn't going to continue to pester Gibbs about whatever big secret he was keeping. They rode along for a few minutes in silence and then Tony was suddenly struck by exactly where it was that Gibbs was going. "You're going back to your house, aren't you?"

Gibbs and Ducky exchanged a look, but Gibbs didn't say anything.

"I want to go too," Tony said.

"Not a good idea, DiNozzo," Gibbs stated.

"Why not?"

"It just isn't." He knew that being at the house was just going to cause Tony more guilt.

"Come on, I want to go boss...please?"

Gibbs tried to steel himself against Tony's plea, but he found he just didn't have the heart to do so. "Alright...but this is against my better judgment."

"It'll be fine," Tony said.

"Jethro? Are you sure?" Ducky asked, a concerned expression on his face.

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, Duck...I'm sure..." In actuality, he wasn't sure at all, but he knew that Tony would very likely go to the house alone if he was denied the opportunity to go there now. Better to have him there when he and Ducky could keep an eye on him.

Very few words were spoken during the remainder of the drive. All three men were lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Ducky pulled his car up in front of Gibbs' house, or rather what remained of Gibbs' house. Gibbs slowly got out of the car and was unable to hide the deep sadness in his eyes as he stared at the charred shell of his house. Tony put his hand on the door handle and was about to follow Gibbs out of the car when Ducky turned around and shook his head. "Give him a few minutes by himself, Anthony," he said solemnly.

Gibbs slowly made his way through the ruins of his home. He caught sight of a broken plate from his wife's good china set, which they had received as a wedding gift, and tears slowly began to spill down his cheeks. She had loved that china, had only used it for holidays and special occasions, but each time she had set it out, her face had lit up with excitement. She had loved cooking and entertaining for their family and friends. This was even harder than he had imagined it would be. He continued his search and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a familiar face smiling up at him. It was a framed photograph from his daughter's very first dance recital. The frame was cracked, but the picture inside appeared to be intact.

"We need to get some help," Tony said from inside Ducky's car. He was trying very hard to ward off guilt as he watched Gibbs' devastated figure walking through the wreckage, searching for pieces of his life that hadn't been destroyed. It wasn't easy though and in spite of what Gibbs had told him earlier, he couldn't help but feel responsible for this. "Can I borrow your phone?" he asked and Ducky handed it over to him. Tony then proceeded to dial Abby's number.

xxxxx

"What the fuck is this?" Lou asked himself as he watched the silver-haired man walking through what remained of a house that had been destroyed by fire. He was parked across the street, gun in his lap, waiting for the opportunity to use it.

"Why the hell don't you get your asses out there and help him?" he urged the two men remaining in the car. What kind of friends were they anyway? Were they just going to sit there like lumps of shit while this guy was walking around looking for stuff? "Jerks." He considered just shooting up the car, Godfather-style, but he would need a machine gun for that idea to really be effective. The car had tinted windows and there was too good a chance he would miss his target. He sat back and continued to watch and wait, hoping he would get his chance to finish off his victim momentarily.

xxxxx

"They're going to be here soon," Tony informed Ducky unnecessarily as the older gentleman had heard each of Tony's conversations with the members of the team.

"That was very good thinking, Anthony," Ducky said approvingly.

"Hopefully it will do some good and we can find some of his things," Tony said, his eyes following Gibbs as he bent down and picked something up off the ground. "Can we go help him now?"

Ducky nodded. "Yes, I think that will be fine. Let's go give Jethro a hand."

xxxxx

Lou's eyes lit up as the two men finally got out of the car and he could feel his adrenaline rising. It was the heady feeling of excitement he always got when he was about to finish off his prey. Glancing around to make sure there was no one watching him, he ensured that the coast was clear and aimed his gun carefully at his unsuspecting victim...


	11. Chapter 11

Gibbs tried to compose himself as he saw Tony and Ducky getting out of the car. Then suddenly, his attention was drawn to a glint of sunlight hitting the barrel of a gun. "Get down!" he shouted.

Tony instinctively flung himself at Ducky and the two men went crashing heavily to the ground as gunshots were fired overhead. Tony turned his head as the car sped away, but it was already too late and all he saw was that it was a black something or other.

"Are you alright, DiNozzo?: Gibbs shouted out as he ran to Ducky's side.

"Yeah, I wasn't hit, boss," Tony replied as he slowly sat up, cradling his casted arm against his body.. "Thanks to you."

"Duck?" Gibbs asked worriedly as he put his arms around the older man and helped him into a sitting position.

"I'm fine, Jethro. Just a bit sore."

"You sure?"

Ducky nodded and Gibbs looked over in Tony's direction. "Is your arm okay?"

"Yeah, its alright," Tony answered, nodding his head. He had landed hard on his shoulder, trying to protect his arm, but it wasn't badly hurt. Like Ducky, he was just sore.

"Mr. Gibbs? Are you hurt?" An elderly woman called out from a small group of curious onlookers who were beginning to gather on the sidewalk.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Fielder," Gibbs answered as he stood up and helped Ducky to his feet. Tony awkwardly got up from the ground as well.

"I called the police," the woman called out again.

"Appreciate that," Gibbs told her.

"Thank you very much for protecting me, Anthony," Ducky said, giving the younger man a grateful smile.

"No problem, Ducky. I'm sorry if I was a little bit rough with you."

"Not to worry, my boy. I appreciate what you did."

"I didn't really see anything except that it was a black car," Tony said, turning towards Gibbs. "Did you, boss?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, he took off too quickly. Couldn't even see the license plate."

"I guess you were right about them coming after me," Tony said with a sigh. He was getting really tired of being a target for all these nutjobs.

Just then two patrol cars pulled up followed by McGee's car. Abby was with him. The two looked stunned as they took approached and saw first-hand what had happened to Gibbs' home. "What happened, boss?" McGee asked as Tony went to talk to the officers.

"Someone decided to use DiNozzo for target practice."

"Wow...he's really getting it from all angles these days," McGee said. "Everyone alright?"

Gibbs nodded "It was a close call though. Whoever these guys are, they're not playing around."

Abby had been walking around, taking in all the damage, her eyes filled with tears. Finally she approached Gibbs. "I am so sorry this happened to you," she said softly, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"I'll be okay, Abs, " he said as he returned her embrace.

She shook her head sadly. "I don't understand why someone would do this...it doesn't make any sense."

"People like that don't make sense, Abby," McGee stated sadly.

"Hey, boss?" Tony said as he walked back over to them, accompanied by a police officer. "This is Officer Borelli. He'd like to talk to you about what you saw."

Gibbs went to talk to the officer and Abby threw her arms around Tony. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "You need to stop getting into so much trouble, Tony. I don't want to lose you."

"From your lips to God's ears, Abby," he replied with a sigh. "I'd like nothing better. Unfortunately, trouble just seems to be following me around these days."

"How's your arm?" McGee asked, eying Tony's cast.

Tony shrugged. "Its more of a nuisance than anything."

"So, how is the bossman doing, really?" Abby asked quietly.

"I don't know, Abby," Tony replied. "He isn't about to tell me how he's really feeling because he just thinks it'll make me feel more guilty."

"This wasn't your fault, Tony," McGee stated.

"That's easy to say, Probie, but trust me, if it was you in this situation, you'd feel even more guilty than I do."

"I thought we covered that this morning, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he came back to rejoin the group.

"Yeah, we did, boss. I'm going to go take a look around and see what I can find." Tony quickly walked away and Gibbs' worry-filled eyes followed him as he left.

xxxxx

"Fuck!" Lou swore as he speedily drove from the site of the burned down house. How the hell had he been spotted? What the hell was it about this guy? How had he been able to escape, not once, but twice now?

Lou pulled out his cell phone and hit Warren's speed dial number, cursing loudly when he got the voice mail recording. "Hey, its Lou. Call me as soon as you get this message. Its an emergency." He clicked off as he inwardly debated what to do next. He had no idea if they could identify his car and/or license number. He was going to have to go into hiding. This guy was becoming a major pain in the ass. He needed to take care of him fast.

xxxxx

Tony breathed a sigh of relief as he put a safe distance between himself and the other members of the team. Maybe Gibbs would open up more if he wasn't around. Then again, he never really opened up much. Tony didn't suppose this time would be any different. He began looking around, hoping to find something that hadn't been destroyed by the fire. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Gibbs was really feeling about this. He searched tirelessly for quite some time, but was discouraged by his lack of success. He hoped the others were having better luck than he was. Finally, he caught a glimpse of something sticking out from under a piece of wood. He bent down to pull it out and found it was a porcelain doll. It was very dirty, but aside from that it appeared to be unharmed. He assumed the doll had belonged to Kelly. He clasped it tightly and continued to search.

"Tony?"

He turned around and saw Ziva staring back at him. "Hi Ziva," he said quietly.

"I have been worried about you." Her eyes full of concern, she reached for him and pulled him into a tentative hug.

"When did you get here?" he asked.

"A little while ago. I did not want to bother you. You appeared to be lost in thought." She looked distressed as she reached up and gently touched the shaved area on the side of his head. "Oh Tony...you could have been killed."

He wanted to come up with some light little quip to lighten the mood, but nothing came to mind. "I'm okay, Ziva. It was definitely too close for comfort though."

She nodded and looked down at the doll he was holding. "Did that belong to Gibbs' daughter?"

Tony shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I'd imagine it does." His eyes went to the area where the others were searching. "Have you been able to find very much?"

"Abby found a photo album that was not hurt. Gibbs seemed happy to have it."

"Yeah?" Tony brightened upon hearing that. Photos were irreplaceable. It made him feel better to know that at least some of them had been found intact. "That's good news. What else have you found?"

"Some pieces of china, some old coins..." She hesitated thoughtfully for a moment. "Some Kit Kats."

"Kit Kats?" he asked, clearly puzzled. "Candy bars?"

She shook her head. "No...not candy...little statues and things like that."

"Oh..." Tony understood now and he couldn't help but grin. "Knick knacks."

"What kind of a word is that?" Ziva asked. "It is ridiculous."

Tony just shrugged, not really wanting to get into a debate on English words and expressions. "I don't think there's anything left over here that's salvageable," he stated. "Let's go over to where the others are."

He started walking in Gibbs' direction and Ziva walked along beside him in companionable silence. Gibbs looked up as they approached and his eyes were drawn to the doll that Tony was carrying. He could feel his heartbeat begin to speed up. Shannon had bought the doll to commemorate Kelly's very first day of school. He could still remember that day as if it was only yesterday. She had been so scared when they walked her into the kindergarten classroom. She had clutched his and Shannon's hands tightly, as if she would never let go. She had done well though. That night, at the dinner table, she had excitedly told him all about her teacher and the new friends she had made. After dinner, they had given Kelly the doll and she had been overjoyed. She had named her Amy and the doll had become a constant companion. Other dolls had come and go over the years, but this one had always been her favorite. Seeing that doll brought a lump to Gibbs' throat and he had to try hard to control his emotions.

"Here, boss," Tony awkwardly handed the doll to Gibbs, not really knowing what to say.

"Thank you, Tony," Gibbs said gruffly. He took the doll from Tony and brought it over the the small pile of things that had been found which hadn't been harmed beyond repair. He gently placed it down with the other items.

They continued the search for a while longer, but it was soon apparent that there wasn't really any point in keeping it up. Although they were trying to hide it, both Tony and Gibbs were pretty well wiped out by this point.

"I really think we need to put a stop to this," Abby whispered to Ducky who readily agreed. He decided the best approach would be to speak with Gibbs.

"Jethro," Ducky began, keeping his voice low. "I think we should call it a day for now. I don't think it would be wise for Anthony to completely exhaust himself." 'Or you,' he added silently.

Gibbs glanced over at Tony and nodded. "DiNozzo? Come on. We've done enough. We're not going to find anything else here," he said, walking over to the younger man and putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Tony shook his head, looking distressed. "No. We need to keep searching. You don't know that we've found everything. There might still be more here."

"We're not going to find anything else," Gibbs repeated, pretty sure that it was true. "I have some things that were important to me...photographs, Kelly's doll, some of Shannon's things. That's all I really care about. The other stuff can be replaced."

"I still think we should look some more," Tony said insistently.

"We've done enough, Tony." Abby went and put her arm around his waist then gently attempted to lead him away.

More tired than he was willing to admit, Tony stopped protesting and went with Abby. The team then gathered up the items that they had found and divided them up, packing them into the trunks of Ducky's, McGee's and Ziva's cars.

"Do you want us to drive Tony and Gibbs to Tony's apartment?" Tim asked Ducky as he and Abby prepared to leave.

"Thank you Timothy, but its not a problem. I'll do it." Ducky replied appreciatively.

"Okay, you guys take care," Tim said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Probie," Tony said.

"I'll give you a call later on today," Gibbs stated. He then went over to speak with Ziva for a few moments while Abby hugged Tony goodbye.

"Remember what I said, Tony," Abby stated as she released him from her embrace. "No more getting into trouble."

"I'll do my best, Abs," Tony said, giving her a small smile.

"Take care, Tony." Ziva came and hugged him as well, then briskly headed to her car.

Abby gave Gibbs a goodbye hug then she and Tim headed out. Tony and Gibbs situated themselves in Ducky's car and a few moments later they were on their way to Tony's apartment.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey Duck? Can we make a quick detour to headquarters?" Gibbs asked. "I called in to requisition new weapons and cell phones for me and Tony. We need to be able to protect ourselves, especially after what just happened."

"Certainly, Jethro," Ducky replied as he steered the car down a side street in order to change direction.

The side trip to NCIS headquarters didn't take long and after Gibbs had handed Tony his new weapon and cell phone, they were on their way to Tony's apartment once again. Lulled by the soothing motion of Ducky's car, Tony drifted off to sleep in the back seat shortly after they left the building. Ducky glanced at him through the rear view mirror then turned his attention to Gibbs. "So, how are you holding up, Jethro?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine, Duck. It's Tony I'm worried about."

He would likely say the same about you."

Gibbs sighed wearily as he gazed out the window. "I'm not the one who has killers after him."

"No, but you've been through a life-altering event as well. You cannot deny that."

"I'm not trying to deny it. I'm not going to sit around and cry about it either though. My main priority right now is making sure he's safe and that these guys are put away."

"Its only been a day," Ducky persisted. "You need to give yourself time to grieve."

"Nobody died,and I'm going to make sure nobody does."

Ducky realized that Jethro wasn't going to admit to what he was feeling and the remainder of the drive was conducted in silence. Finally, they arrived at Tony's building. Gibbs twisted around to look at Tony who was still sleeping soundly then turned towards Ducky. "I'm going to take a quick look around to make sure there no one's waiting for us," he said quietly. "Stay in the car. I'll be right back."

Gibbs walked through the parking lot and found nothing amiss. Satisfied that the area was safe, he returned to the car and opened the back door. Tony immediately jolted awake. "Guess we're here," he said as he got his bearings. "You coming in, Ducky?"

Ducky shook his head. "Another time, my boy. I have some things I need to attend to. But please, don't hesitate to call if you need anything at all."

"Thanks, Ducky." Tony gave the man a small smile as he got out of the car. Gibbs said a quick goodbye, deciding to leave his belongings stowed in Ducky's trunk for the time being. The two men waved as Ducky drove off and then started walking towards Tony's building.

"I'm going to stop by the super's office to get an extra set of keys," Tony stated. They walked over to the office which was situated, with a separate entrance, at the side of the building. A few minutes later, with keys in hand, Tony and Gibbs entered the building. Tony retrieved his mail from his box and they walked down the long hallway to Tony's first floor apartment. They were very careful as they entered the apartment but there was no one inside.

"Can I get you a drink or something to eat, boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "No thanks. I actually need to make a few phone calls." He had to call the insurance company and get that process started.

Tony nodded. "Okay. Your room is right over there. There are fresh sheets on the bed, t owels in the linen closet outside the bathroom. You're welcome to whatever I have that you might want to wear. I didn't know if you wanted to go shopping or something maybe tomorrow," he finished, feeling awkward. He could only imagine how it felt to be Gibbs right now. Almost everything he owned had been destroyed and he had to depend on others for pretty much everything. Tony knew it had to be killing him even though he was refusing to show it.

"Thanks. I'll just go in the bedroom to make my calls," Gibbs stated.

Tony watched as Gibbs went to the guest room and closed the door behind him. He sighed softly as he went into the bathroom and took a bottle of ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet. His head and arm were both throbbing pretty good, but he was reluctant to take the pain pills he had gotten from the hospital pharmacy. He wouldn't have even filled the prescription, but he had known Gibbs would kick up a fuss if he didn't. He shook four tablets into his hand and gulped them down with some water. He then wandered back into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Picking up the remote control, he turned on the television and started flicking through channels. He was still pretty tired though and it didn't take too long before he had fallen asleep.

xxxxx

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he continued to remain on hold. He had been going back and forth between various insurance company personnel and was starting to get a little bit aggravated with the runaround he was getting. Finally, Mrs. Young came back on the line and this time they actually made some progress. Gibbs hung up the phone and looked around the room. Although he had been to DiNozzo's apartment on several occasions, he had never actually stayed overnight before. The room was a nice one. There was even a small flat screen television and a dvd player. Gibbs wasn't really sure why the agent paid for a two bedroom apartment when a one bedroom would serve his purposes, but in this case it was going to work out well. The building itself appeared to be secure, but Bittner had found his way into Tony's apartment so it probably wouldn't be too difficult for the convenience store robbers to do so as well if they wanted to. Gibbs still didn't know if they knew Tony's name, but unfortunately, though he hadn't been named in news reports in connection with the hold up, he had been named in connection with the fire and the capture of Bittner so it wouldn't be too hard to connect the dots if Tony's picture had been shown.

Gibbs was tired and almost gave in to his desire to lie down, but decided if he did, he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Instead, he stood up and went back to Tony's living room where he found his senior field agent stretched out and asleep on his sofa. Gibbs stood and studied him for a moment, noting the telltale dark circles under his eyes which seemed to be deepening daily. He really needed to start sleeping and eating better. There was a throw on the top of the sofa which Gibbs unfolded and gently placed over Tony's sleeping form. He then went into the kitchen and investigated the contents of the refrigerator. He found some fresh chicken, a package of egg noodles and some other ingredients and set to work, chuckling softly to himself. It seemed he was always cooking for DiNozzo in much the same way as his own father did for him when they were together. DiNozzo definitely brought out his own fatherly instincts. He supposed it was because the younger man's own father wasn't much of one to him. He finished putting together a simple casserole and put it into the oven then went back into the living room after setting the timer. He settled down in the recliner, which was exceedingly comfortable and before long he drifted into a light doze.

xxxxx

"What the hell took you so long?" Lou snarled into the phone.

"I have a job. I can't just yap on the phone all day long," Warren retorted. "What's your problem now?"

"I tried to take him out today, but it didn't go very well."

Warren shook his head in dismay. He could feel the beginnings of a knot developing in his stomach. It was becoming a very familiar feeling. "So now what?"

"They could be on to me. I need to stay at your place until I get this bastard."

"What? No! How am I supposed to explain that to my wife?"

"I don't care how you explain it. Tell her I'm getting my apartment fumigated. Say whatever the hell you want, but I'm coming. Deal with it." Lou hung up the phone and continued to drive. He pulled up in front of a newsstand, then went inside to buy a pack of cigarettes and a newspaper. He returned to the car and glanced down at the paper. He hit pay dirt in only a few seconds. The front page contained an article about the NCIS killer. There were photographs of the convenience store guy as well as the other guy who had been at the scene of the fire. Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. and Leroy Jethro Gibbs. His heart fell with the realization that both men were federal agents. Damn...that wasn't good. It made things a lot more difficult, but he was more determined than ever to get rid of this guy, federal agent or not.

xxxxx

Tony stood still, watching in shocked horror as the fire engulfed the house. He was totally helpless and could do nothing at all but look on as the flames greedily consumed Gibbs' home. He felt utter despair at the total destruction he was witnessing. His attention was distracted by the appearance of three figures who were slowly approaching him. The first one he recognized was Gibbs. Then, with a sick feeling in his stomach, he recognized the other two people with him from photos he had seen. Gibbs' wife and daughter. Gibbs looked angry whereas the other two almost looked zombified. Tony felt an irresistible urge to run, but he found himself unable to move. He just stood there watching as they got closer and closer to him.

"I...I'm really sorry, boss...I never meant for this to happen."

"You have destroyed our home," Shannon said tonelessly. "Now you must pay."

"Now you must pay,"Kelly echoed her mother.

"You reap what you sow, DiNozzo."

"You reap what you sow," Shannon and Kelly echoed eerily.

"You burned our family home and now you must burn too."

"What? No." Tony shook his head and began to back away, but they surrounded him. Shannon and Kelly enveloped his wrists with their icy fingers and started to lead him towards the flames. He tried to escape but they were supernaturally strong and he couldn't budge. "No...please. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, boss. I'm so sorry." He gazed pleading at Gibbs, but the older man's eyes remained angry and cold.

"Sorry doesn't bring our home back. Apologies are a sign of weakness and they don't help at all."

He could feel the heat rising as he was led closer and closer to the flames and he knew there was no escape.

Tony's screams startled Gibbs out of his light sleep and he rushed to the other man's side.

"DiNozzo! Tony, wake up." Gibbs shook Tony's shoulder as he tried to awaken him.

"No! No! I'm sorry, boss. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Come on DiNozzo. Wake up," Gibbs urged, louder this time. Finally, he succeeded in rousing his agent. Tony looked scared and confused as he slowly came out of the dream.

"Wh...what's going on?" he asked Gibbs, a tremor in his voice as he ran his hand through his sweat-soaked hair and a visible shiver ran through his body.

"I think that's my question," Gibbs said as he took a seat on the sofa beside Tony. "That was some nightmare you were having."

"Yeah...yeah, I guess it was," Tony admitted shakily, unsuccessfully trying to block the images of the dream from his mind.

"You want to talk about it?"

Tony slowly shook his head. "No...not really."

"It might help," Gibbs persisted.

"I doubt it." He didn't think telling Gibbs his dream had consisted of his wife and daughter looking like zombies and trying to kill him would be very helpful to anyone, least of all Gibbs.

"You need to let this go," Gibbs said softly. "It wasn't your fault, Tony."

Tony sighed. He really didn't want to talk about it. He suddenly became aware of the aroma of something cooking in the kitchen. "You know...you really don't have to cook for me all the time, boss."

"You need to get something decent into your stomach. We both do."

"Yeah well, I'm not all that hungry."

"But you'll eat anyway." Gibbs' tone left no room for argument.

"Okay...I'll eat." It definitely wasn't worth quarreling about. He was just so damn tired, but if sleeping meant more nightmares, it wasn't any more appealing than eating was.

The oven timer went off and Gibbs went out in the kitchen to get the casserole out of the oven as Tony trailed along behind him. "You want me to make a salad or something to go with that?" Tony asked as Gibbs put the casserole on the counter top.. It looked pretty good. Tony was beginning to feel hungry in spite of himself.

"Might be kind of hard to chop up vegetables with one arm," Gibbs commented. "I can do it."

"No. Its no biggie. I just thought you might want some. I don't really care about it."

"Its a good idea. Won't take long at all."

Tony sighed as he went to get some salad items from the refrigerator. He hadn't even thought about his arm when he offered to make it. He had just thought Gibbs might want it. He hadn't cared one way or the other. In any case, Gibbs quickly prepared the rest of their dinner and they sat down to eat. The casserole was really good and Tony ate a healthy amount before declaring himself to be full. "That was really good, boss. Thanks for making it.

"Its the least I can do. After all, you're giving me a place to stay."

"Yeah well... that's the least I can do as well..."

Gibbs sighed heavily. He wasn't sure what he had to say or do to convince DiNozzo that he wasn't to blame for what had happened.

"Why don't we try to relax for a little while," Gibbs suggested. "You can introduce me to one of the movies you're always talking about."

"Alright, that's a good idea," Tony said, his expression brightening as he contemplated which of his many movies Gibbs would like. He'd make him into a movie aficionado by the end of his stay.

xxxxx

"You need to make other arrangements," Warren hissed at Lou. "This isn't going to work out." They had just spent a long and uncomfortable dinner with Warren's family. His wife had spent almost the entire meal shooting dagger eyes at Lou and the children had quarreled incessantly. Warren had been on edge since Lou had informed him that the man in the convenience store was a federal agent. He was beginning to rethink his position on trying to kill the guy. Maybe he could work out some kind of a deal. He waited until Lou had settled himself in the den to watch Jeopardy and then he crept off to his bedroom. He then called Directory Assistance and nervously held his breath, praying the agent would answer.

Tony got up off the sofa to answer the ringing phone. Gibbs' insurance company had called him back and he had retreated to the bedroom to talk to them privately. He glanced at the caller ID which read restricted. "Hello?" There was silence at the other end of the line and Tony rolled his eyes in annoyance. Probably a telemarketer. "Hello," he repeated, on the verge of hanging up.

"Agent DiNozzo?"

"Yes, this is DiNozzo," Tony replied warily. "Who is this?"

"Never mind my name," the man replied shakily. He was very obviously nervous. "I'm one of the guys from the holdup. I didn't know he was going to shoot you guys. Honest I didn't. I...I want to make a deal. I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Tony glanced at Gibbs' door which remained shut and went into his own bedroom. "Come to NCIS headquarters. You can talk to my boss. We can see what we can do for you."

"No way! Only you. I want to meet you first. Then we'll discuss it."

Tony hesitated briefly. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he wanted this to be over with. "Alright, where?"

"The old McAvoy Theater. You know it?"

"Yeah, I know it." The theater had closed down years ago and was basically a decrepit eyesore that needed to be torn down.

"Meet me out back and come alone or I'm gone."

"Okay, okay. I'll come alone. Its going to have to be later though. I can't meet you now."

"Midnight."

"Okay, but..." Tony realized that the guy had already hung up. He went back into the living room and saw that Gibbs' door remained closed. He knew he could very well be walking into a trap, but he refused to risk Gibbs' life. He had already caused the man enough grief. He would take his chances and go alone.

xxxxx

Lou left the kitchen with a bag of Cheetos and shoved some into his mouth. Warren's prune-faced wife had shot him yet another dirty look when he took them, but he really didn't care. He had no idea why Warren didn't just kick her to the curb, but he'd been acting weird too, ever since the shooting. He paused outside Warren's bedroom door when he heard the other man's voice and pressed his ear up against the door. What he heard caused his face to redden with anger. He should have known better than to try to include Warren. Oh well he had done him a huge favor. Now he would have the federal agent served up to him on a silver platter. Only now there would be two more dead bodies, not just one. It made no difference to him. There were definitely more than enough bullets to go around. He smirked as he stuffed some more Cheetos in his mouth and went off to watch the rest of Jeopardy. Tonight was going to be a very memorable night, indeed.


	13. Chapter 13

Tony was having a hard time concentrating on the movie. He kept on thinking about what he was planning on doing. He knew it wasn't a particularly smart idea. He knew Gibbs was going to be really, really pissed off when he discovered what he had done. Twice he almost confessed, but remained silent.

"You alright?" Gibbs asked, shooting Tony a concerned look. He had barely uttered a word in the last hour or so and seemed distracted. "You feel like talking?"

Tony shook his head. "I'm fine boss...you don't have to keep worrying about me."

"I'll always worry about you," DiNozzo," Gibbs said truthfully as Tony looked back at him, startled by his words. "Just wish you believed you were worth worrying about..."

Tony stared down at the floor, feeling even more guilty. It wasn't like his family had ever worried about him. They had barely even acknowledged his existence. "Thanks, boss...but you really don't have to. I'll be fine." He feigned a wide yawn and glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'm sorry I'm not better company. I'm just really tired tonight..."

"You should think about going to bed then," Gibbs said, not entirely convinced that fatigue was Tony's problem.

"Yeah, that's a good idea, boss," Tony said, forcing a smile as he got to his feet and headed to his bedroom. "I...I'll see you in the morning...Good night."

"Goodnight, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied, unable to stop the feelings of uneasiness he was having. Something was definitely off with his agent. He just wished he knew what it was.

xxxxx

Tony lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he waited until it was late enough for him to leave. He had heard Gibbs retire to his bedroom a short while ago and had taken the opportunity to call a cab company and arrange for a taxi to be at his building at 11:45. He had his gun loaded and ready and his heart was beating rapidly in anticipation of the upcoming meeting. Finally, at about 11:40, he got his jacket and silently exited his bedroom. Gibbs' door was shut and he didn't hear a peep coming from the older agent's room. Tony crept across the living room and opened the front door of his apartment, quietly making his way out into the hallway. Once he had closed the door behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made his way down the hallway When he got outside, the taxi was already waiting for him. Tony got into the back seat and told the cabdriver his destination.

"You do know that place has been closed for years, don't you?" the taxi cab driver asked as he gave Tony a suspicious look through the rear view mirror.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tony replied. "I need to meet someone there. Don't worry about it."

"Well, I'm not waiting around for you," the driver said. "Its not exactly the best part of town."

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting you to wait."

Tony gave a silent thank you when the driver finally stopped talking and concentrated on the road, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts. He was having more and more second thoughts about what he was about to do and what Gibbs was going to think of him after it was over. Without giving himself a chance to second guess his actions, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Gibbs' number.

"You picked a pretty weird time to be testing out your new cell phone, DiNozzo," Gibbs muttered sleepily as he put the phone to his ear after checking out the caller ID.

"I'm actually not at the apartment, boss," Tony said.

Gibbs instantly awoke fully and sat up in bed. "Are you in trouble, Tony?"

"No...not in trouble...I'm on my way to meet one of the guys from the holdup."

"You're what?"

"I...I thought I should let you know."

Gibbs was rapidly throwing on clothes as he spoke. "Please tell me you're not doing this without backup."

"He said to come alone, boss."

Gibbs shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? "Where are you? Pull over. Pull over right now and wait for me."

Can't do it. I'll be late. I need to be there at midnight. Need to do this. Need to get these guys."

"You driving with one arm, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he loaded his gun.

"Taxi, boss."

"Have him drop you off. Wait for me. That's an order."

"Sorry, boss...I can't do that." Tony said regretfully, but he was steadfast in his determination to do this alone.

"Where? Where are you meeting him?" Gibbs asked as he walked out into the living room and saw Tony's car keys on the coffee table. Grabbing them, he made his way out of the apartment. "Where, DiNozzo? Damn it, tell me!" he barked when Tony remained silent at the other end of the phone.

"The McAvoy Theater," Tony replied with a sigh.

Gibbs was already running down the hallway. "Tony...Tony please have the driver drop you off. I'll be right there."

"Sorry, boss. Gotta go. I'll see ya."

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted, but Tony had hung up. He found Tony's car and got inside, mentally cursing his agent as he did so. He was going to be in so much trouble when he caught up with him. He just hoped the younger man didn't get himself hurt or worse before he got to him.

xxxxx

"You a cop or something?" the cab driver asked as he pulled up in front of the McAvoy Theater.

"Or something," Tony replied as he dug some money out of his pocket and paid the driver. "That's all set."

"Thanks, Mister." The driver's eyes brightened when he saw the hefty tip Tony had given him. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Tony got out of the taxi and took a quick look around as he made his way toward the side of the building. The area was very dark and he inwardly berated himself for not having thought to bring a flashlight. Then again, that would have exposed him so maybe it was just as well. He clutched his gun tightly as he made his way towards the rear of the building, trying to walk as silently as he could. When he reached the rear corner of the theater, he stopped and took a deep breath then cautiously peered around the corner to the back. He couldn't see or hear anything. He wondered if they were already waiting there, hoping to ambush him. He had arrived a few minutes early so if it wasn't a trap, maybe the guy just hadn't gotten here yet. He saw some cardboard boxes and decided that would be a halfway decent place to wait. At least he would have a little bit of cover, not that boxes were bulletproof, but it was definitely better than nothing. He made his way over to the boxes and was relieved when nothing happened. He stacked the boxes so as to give himself the best protection he could and settled back to wait. He didn't have to wait too long. A man arrived in the area behind the building and looked around. Even from his limited vision, Tony could recognize him from the convenience store and he could tell that the guy was nervous.

"Agent DiNozzo?" he called out. "Are you here?"

Tony waited a few more moments before he made himself known. "Put your hands up," Tony said as he came out from behind the boxes with his gun drawn.

"I... I can assure you I'm not armed," the man stammered. "I...I've never used a gun in my entire life."

"Well, I'm sure you'll understand if I don't take your word on that," Tony said as he patted the man down. "Almost getting killed tends to make me a little bit suspicious of people." Finally satisfied that the man was unarmed, Tony stood back. "Okay, why don't you start by telling me your name."

"Its Warren...Warren Albright."

"Well, Warren, quite a mess you've gotten yourself into," Tony stated.

"I know, but I didn't know what was going to happen," Warren protested. "I swear I didn't know. I would never want to kill anyone. It was all Lou. I swear it was."

"What's Lou's last name?" Tony asked.

"It's Reynolds."

"Why didn't you call us sooner?" Tony asked. "It would have been a hell of a lot easier if you had."

"Lou said no one would believe me. I have a wife and kids. I couldn't take that chance. Please, man. You've gotta help me. Lou is at my house right now. All you've got to do is go pick him up and bring him in."

Tony nodded as he re-holstered his gun so he could get out his cell phone. "I'm going to call my boss and see about picking up your friend." He wasn't really sure if they should do it themselves or let the local police handle it.

"Well, well, well. You think someone is your friend, you turn around for a minute and he stabs you in the back." Lou came up to them, gun drawn with a menacing expression on his face. "Put your hands behind your head, Agent DiNozzo."

A quick glance at Warren told Tony that Lou's arrival had been totally unexpected. Shit. This wasn't good. "I said put your hands behind your head, now!" Lou snapped and Tony did as he asked, silently cursing as Lou took his weapon.

"I actually owe you a bit of thanks," Lou said to Warren. "You delivered this Agent DiNozzo to me nice and tidy. Now I'll just take care of the two of you and I'll be home free."

"Come on Lou...I...I didn't have a choice," Warren pleaded. "You dragged me into this mess. Its not like I asked to be included."

"Too fucking bad," Lou said, turning his attention from Warren to Tony. "You've given me a whole lot of trouble, DiNozzo. It'll be a pleasure to blow your brains out. This time, I'll make sure you're dead."

Tony shook his head. "You're never going to get away with this. They'll catch you and you'll be in even more trouble than you are now."

"I've already killed once. Doesn't make a difference to me," Lou shrugged "At least this way, I have a fighting chance. Now let's get this over with. Get down on your knees."

"Don't do this, Lou," Warren stammered. "Just let us go, man. You don't need to kill us too."

"Shut up!" Lou bellowed then turned to Tony again. "You heard me! Down on your knees."

Tony stared back at Lou defiantly. "No way in hell, dirtbag." He knew he was very likely going to die, but he sure as hell wasn't going to make it any easier for this guy. His heart was pounding and he knew he didn't have long. Lou raised the guy and Tony flew at him, managing to knock the gun out of Lou's hand. It landed on the ground, but Tony fell awkwardly and with only one good arm, he couldn't move swiftly enough to grab the weapon. Lou reached it first and used it to hit Tony on the head, dazing him.

"You'll pay for that, you son of a bitch!" Lou growled as he aimed the gun at Tony's head. Tony closed his eyes resigned to the inevitable and then he heard the loud crack of a single gunshot. He laid there for a few seconds before realizing that he hadn't been hurt. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. Lou was lying on the ground, obviously dead, with a bullet wound in the center of his forehead. Tony then turned his head and saw Gibbs approaching him, looking more pissed off than he had ever seen him...


	14. Chapter 14

Tony slowly got to his feet then watched silently as Gibbs went over to Warren and handcuffed him, "This wasn't my fault," Warren whined. "I was trying to help. I can't go to jail. I didn't do anything."

"Shut. Up."

When Warren saw the expression on Gibbs' face, he did just that. The man looked positively terrifying.

"Boss? I..."

Gibbs' blue eyes were like ice cubes as he turned towards Tony. "Not now."

"Come on, boss...I just want to..."

"Dammit, DiNozzo, I said not now! What the hell is so hard to understand about that?" Gibbs bellowed as Tony blanched and remained silent. Sirens could be heard in the distance. A few minutes later, the area was a beehive of activity as police officers milled about. Tony tried to catch Gibbs' eyes a couple of times, but the man refused to even look at him. Finally, he went over to the theater and leaned back against it. He was trying to think of ways to justify himself to Gibbs, but the fact remained that if Gibbs hadn't arrived when he did, he himself would be lying dead on the ground instead of Lou.

Gibbs glanced at Tony who was slumped dejectedly against the back of the building and shuddered inwardly, once again realizing how close the younger man had come to getting killed. He thanked God that Tony had finally called him, but it had almost been too late. Gibbs had barely gotten there in time, had just managed to get the shot off.

Tony wearily rubbed his eyes. He was pretty well exhausted at this point and didn't really feel up to dealing with Gibbs. He knew it wasn't going to be fun, but he also knew it was his own fault. He sighed heavily, then straightened up as a grim-faced Detective Morris approached him.

"Agent DiNozzo," he greeted him. He had already gotten the gist of what had transpired from Agent Gibbs and wasn't particularly happy with what he had heard.

"Detective Morris." Tony saw the disapproval in the other man's eyes and forced himself to stand up even straighter.

"This situation could have ended very badly for you," Morris stated. "You mind telling me why you didn't let me know when Albright contacted you?"

"I thought I had it handled," Tony replied.

"Well, you didn't, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Tony admitted. "I made an error in judgment."

"That's what you call it? An error in judgment? You're very lucky you're not dead right now."

Tell me something I don't know, Tony thought, but he didn't think it would be very smart to verbalize it.

The detective waited for Tony to say something, but he didn't reply and Morris found himself softening somewhat. The kid had been run through the wringer over the past few days and looked wiped out. He decided to give him a break. "Why don't you go home and get some rest," he suggested. "Stop by the station tomorrow afternoon, after two, and I'll take your statement then."

Tony nodded gratefully. "Thanks." He looked over at Gibbs who was speaking with some of the officers. He had no idea when Gibbs was planning to return home and certainly wasn't about to ask him. For all he knew, the man wasn't even going back to Tony's apartment. He leaned back up against the wall and gingerly rubbed the area on his forehead where Lou had hit him with the gun. A small lump was forming, but he could tell it was no big deal. It was just a little bit sore. He closed his eyes for a few moments, feeling very close to being able to fall asleep standing up. Finally, he forced them open again and when he did so, Gibbs was right in front of him, staring at him with an indescribable look on his face.

"Come on. We're leaving."

Tony didn't question him, but obediently fell into step behind the older man as they walked over to where Gibbs had parked his car. They got into the vehicle and Gibbs silently turned on the ignition then pulled out into the street. Tony tried not to say anything, but after a few minutes of total silence, he couldn't help himself.

"I'm sorry."

"Not good enough, DiNozzo."

"Come on, boss. Its not like you haven't gone off on your own before..."

"I DON'T CARE," Gibbs growled as he glanced at Tony furiously and couldn't resist smacking him on the back of the head, which earned him a look of reproach from his agent. "I gave you an order to wait for me and you didn't do it."

"You can't give me orders. It wasn't even one of our cases," Tony muttered under his breath, clenching his fist in response to Gibbs' smack in order to stop himself from rubbing his head. The head slap had been delivered with a lot more force than usual.

"What was that?"

"I said it wasn't one of our cases," Tony retorted loudly, not backing down.

"I'd just like to know what the hell you were thinking. You're not stupid, DiNozzo. If it was anyone else, would you have advised them to go into that situation without backup? What if it had been McGee?"

"Of course I wouldn't have, but I have a lot more experience than McGee."

"Your so-called experience didn't do you a damn bit of good tonight, did it." Gibbs stated. "If I hadn't gotten there, you'd be dead right now. Is that what you wanted?"

"No...that's not what I wanted."

"Well you could have fooled me. First that stupid stunt you pulled leaving the hospital and now this."

"I called Ducky when I left the hospital," Tony defended.

"Yeah, but you were almost too late that time too."

"Its not like I expected to get shot in a convenience store robbery. That could have happened to anyone."

"Well you still shouldn't have been wandering around the streets alone in the middle of the night."

"I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time. I told you I was sorry. I don't know what else you want me to say."

Gibbs shook his head. Tony definitely wasn't getting it. He really didn't understand why Gibbs was so upset. "Its late and I'm way too angry to discuss this any more tonight. We will talk about it tomorrow."

"Fine." Tony turned his head to stare out the window. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing else to talk about, but he knew Gibbs was going to get in the last word. The rest of the ride was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Gibbs' emotions were bouncing back and forth between fury and concern while Tony was just plain physically tired and emotionally spent. He hated that Gibbs was so upset with him, but he had no idea what to do about it. Mercifully, the drive finally came to an end as Gibbs pulled Tony's car back into its parking space. The two got out of the car and went into the building then made their way back to Tony's apartment.

Once they were inside the apartment, Gibbs immediately started to head for the bedroom, but halted when he heard Tony's tentative voice. "Hey, boss?"

"Yeah, what is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs turned around to face Tony, feeling overwhelmingly weary and a good deal older than his years.

"Thank you." Tony said, looking back at him earnestly. "You saved my life. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Gibbs put his hand on the doorknob then turned towards Tony once again. "You're okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Tony shook his head. "No, I'm not hurt."

"Get some sleep then...We'll talk in the morning."

"G'night boss."

"Good night, Tony."

xxxxx

Tony entered his bedroom, toed off his shoes and collapsed onto his bed, not even having the energy to undress or get under the covers. He fell asleep almost immediately. Gibbs, on the other hand, found sleep to be elusive. He kept thinking how tragically the night could have turned out. He didn't know how many more of these close calls he could take. It was almost dawn when Gibbs was struck with an idea of how he could get Tony to realize why he had been so upset with him. Finally, he drifted off to sleep.

Gibbs' slumber was relatively short-lived. He awoke again about three hours later and knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He slowly sat up and stretched painfully, his muscles rebelling against the unwanted movement. He then left his room to go check on DiNozzo. He softly knocked on the door, but received no answer and quietly opened the bedroom door. Stepping inside the room, Gibbs found Tony curled on his side, sleeping soundly and he knew just how exhausted he must have been to have fallen asleep fully clothed. Tony murmured something unintelligible and shivered slightly in his sleep. "Damn," Gibbs whispered, melting a little inside as he noted just how vulnerable Tony looked at that moment. He'd been going to wake him, but instead he returned to his room to retrieve the comforter from his bed and brought it back to cover the sleeping agent. It was still early and there was no rush for what they were going to do. Tony needed his rest and Gibbs could wait until he woke up on his own.

xxxxx

It was another two and a half hours before Tony finally began to stir. He opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He was relieved that he had slept well, without any nightmares, which was a nice change. He wondered if Gibbs was up yet and when he noticed the comforter over him he guessed that he was. Either that, or the older man had checked up on him in the middle of the night. He was hoping that meant that he was at least a little less pissed off at him than he had been.

He went in to use the bathroom and then took a deep breath before hesitantly making his way out to the living room. Gibbs was sitting on the sofa, reading the morning paper.

"Good morning, boss," Tony said, trying to gauge the older man's mood. At least everything that had happened wouldn't yet be in the paper, not that Gibbs would have forgotten, but Tony didn't think it being thrown in the older man's face first thing in the morning would be very good either.

"Good morning, DiNozzo." Gibbs' tone was even, almost a little bit pleasant, but Tony knew that really didn't mean anything. He had seen Gibbs lull many suspects into a false sense of security, then pounce on them without warning.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Tony asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Figured I would wait for you. You doing okay?"

"I'm fine."

"I can fix us something," Gibbs said, getting to his feet. "What would you like?"

"I can make breakfast," Tony stated. Even though he only had the use of one arm, he still was capable of doing things. He didn't want Gibbs waiting on him.

"I don't mind. You might as well take advantage while you can," Gibbs replied. He wanted to make sure the younger man ate well. At least he didn't have to worry about someone trying to kill him anymore, which was a relief. "How about some eggs?"

"Sure...eggs sound good."

"How do you want them?"

Tony shrugged. "Scrambled, I guess." He wasn't quite sure what to make of Gibbs' mood. He wasn't acting at all like Tony had expected. Gibbs started preparing the eggs and Tony took out a loaf of bread to make toast. A short time later, breakfast was ready and the two men sat down at the kitchen table to eat. "Good eggs, boss," Tony stated after he had taken a bite. "You can feel free to take my car today if you have things you need to do." A little bit of space between them might be a good thing and maybe Gibbs would decide to bypass what had occurred the night before.

"I do have somewhere to go, but I want you to come with me."

"Yeah? Where's that, boss, clothes shopping? I could definitely give you some tips on what to buy," Tony offered with a smile.

"We're not going shopping, DiNozzo."

"Oh..." Tony's face fell when Gibbs remained expressionless. Gibbs definitely wasn't ready to let go of the previous night's events yet. "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Tony wanted to ask more questions about their destination, but decided it was better not to. "When do you want to leave?"

"Whenever we're ready. There's no rush."

"I have to go to the police department to give my statement sometime after two. I don't want you to take me or anything. I can grab a cab," Tony explained hastily. "Its just that I need to be back. I didn't know how long what we're doing is going to take."

"We'll be back and I'll drive you to the station."

"Okay...thanks..." He stared back at Gibbs for a long moment then sighed as he got up from the table and brought the breakfast dishes over to the sink. Gibbs didn't offer to do it for him which Tony was grateful for. "I guess I'll go take a shower and get ready then...You can take a look through my closet, take whatever you want."

"Okay, thanks." Gibbs nodded.

Tony wrapped a plastic bag around cast as well as he could then went into the bathroom to take his shower. He managed to keep his cast relatively dry and got dressed with a minimum of difficulty. Once he was ready, he went back out into the living room where Gibbs was perusing his dvd collection.

"How do you find the time to watch all these?" he asked, glancing at Tony as he entered the room.

"Some of them I haven't watched yet," Tony replied with a shrug. "Anyhow, its not like I watch them all the time. Its just my way of unwinding, kind of like when you work on your boats...though, I guess the one you were working on is gone..." He turned away from Gibbs, a downcast look in his eyes.

"I'd barely started on that boat," Gibbs said. He wondered how long Tony was going to beat himself up over the fire. "Its not important."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, boss." Tony didn't believe Gibbs for a second, but he supposed there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. He couldn't undo what had been done. He couldn't bring back what Gibbs had lost.

Gibbs sensed that Tony's mood was plummeting and briefly had second thoughts about his idea. He hoped it wouldn't backfire. He wanted things to be better between them, not worse. "I'll go take a quick shower and then we can get going."

"I'll be right here." Tony sat on the couch and tried to turn his thoughts away from the fire and its ongoing after effects. He knew that dwelling on it was only making matters worse. It wasn't easy though. He put a Magnum dvd into the dvd player and started watching one of the episodes, hoping to escape reality for a bit. The episode had barely started though when Gibbs reappeared, showered and dressed.

"You ready to go?" Gibbs asked as Tony nodded reluctantly and got to his feet. A few minutes later, they were on their way.

xxxxx

"You're not dragging me to a shrink, are you, boss?" They had been driving for about 10 minutes and the ride had been silent until that point. "Because contrary to what you might think, I'm not crazy."

Gibbs couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Tempting as that might be, no, I'm not taking you to see a shrink, DiNozzo."

"Is it a very long drive?" Tony asked again after another minute as Gibbs rolled his eyes. DiNozzo could be worse than a little kid sometimes.

"Its only about another five minutes or so," Gibbs replied.

Tony sat back with a small sigh as he wondered where they were heading to. They were well out of the city, traveling through a picturesque area with lots of trees and grass. There was a tall black iron gate up ahead in the distance and Gibbs turned towards it. When Tony saw the name over the gate, Pine Woods Cemetery, he turned to look at Gibbs in dismay. "Wh...what are we doing here, boss?" he asked tremulously.

"I thought this would be a good place to talk." Gibbs' expression was somber as he focused on driving up the familiar pathways. He didn't see the look in Tony's eyes as his agent tried to fight a growing feeling of panic inside of him.

'Oh God, oh God, oh God...' Tony chanted inwardly. What the hell was wrong with him? He was freaking out like some scared little girl. He didn't need Gibbs to see him like this. It was only a cemetery and the dreams he had been having were just that...only dreams... They weren't real. No one was going to come after him. There weren't any ghosts here. He didn't even notice that Gibbs had stopped the car until he spoke.

"DiNozzo? Come on." Gibbs already had his door open and he gave Tony a questioning look. "Come on. Are you getting out?"

Tony wanted to say no. He wanted to beg Gibbs to turn the car around and leave this place, but he couldn't do it. He needed to suck it up and listen to whatever Gibbs had to say. His whole body felt like rubber as he managed to get out of the car and he trailed behind Gibbs. He stared down at the ground, just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. He didn't dare look at Gibbs. He didn't look ahead to see where they were going either. When Gibbs stopped, Tony almost walked right into him. He stopped short and stared transfixed at the large pink marble headstone with the names Shannon and Kelly Gibbs carved into the stone. Two angels were depicted on the stone, one with the face of a child. The carvings were intricate and beautiful, but what they represented was tragic and Tony immediately became overwhelmed with emotion. There were flowers in front of the grave, tiny figurines of cherubs and a rag doll. Tony felt a single teardrop trail down his cheek and he finally forced himself to look at Gibbs. The older man's eyes were brimming with tears.

"I've never brought anyone here before," Gibbs began softly, staring sadly at the final resting place of his beloved wife and daughter. "I mean, I've come here with my dad before...but he was around when it happened. As you well know, I'm a private person...I don't share my feelings easily."

Tony nodded, not yet trusting himself to speak.

"The day I buried them was one of the hardest days of my life," Gibbs continued in a choked whisper. "There were times I didn't know how I could bear getting through one more day, never mind the rest of my life. I don't want to go through that kind of pain again, Tony."

"Of course you don't," Tony replied quietly, not able to imagine just how much pain Gibbs had gone through. "No one would. I don't know how you got through it."

"But yet...you almost caused me to go through it again last night."

"What? I..." Tony trailed off and met Gibbs' eyes, seeing the depth of emotion in them and was rendered speechless.

"Maybe I haven't made it clear how I feel about you, how important you are. You and I have worked together for a lot of years...I was never blessed with any more children, and I probably shouldn't feel this way, but Tony, you are like a son to me." Gibbs closed his eyes for a long moment, then forced himself to go on. "If you had died last night, it would have been like losing another child. Now, I know we have a dangerous job, and any of us could lose our lives at any time..."

"Like Kate..." Tony whispered.

"Yes, like Kate." Gibbs nodded, knowing that the horror they had experienced on the rooftop would be with them for as long as they lived. It wasn't something you could ever forget and in some way, that day had further enhanced the bond Gibbs had with Tony. "But Tony, the risk that you took last night was foolish and unacceptable to me. I refuse to lose you that way. You need to understand that. You need to promise me it won't happen again."

"I didn't want you to get hurt, boss," Tony said, fighting to keep his emotions in check and his voice steady. He walked over to the gravestone and gently placed his hand on top of it. "Because of me, the home you shared with your family is gone forever. I...I couldn't let something else bad happen to you. It would have been my fault...they would never forgive me..."

"What?" Gibbs walked over to Tony and put his hand on his shoulder, watching him intently. "Who would never forgive you?"

"Them...Shannon and Kelly." Tony bowed his head, staring down at the gravesite. "I...I see them in my dreams, boss. They...they blame me for what happened. I couldn't let something happen to you too...I just couldn't..."

"Aw, damn, DiNozzo." Gibbs finally began to understand what Tony had been struggling with as he started to lose the battle to keep himself in control. Without even thinking, Gibbs pulled the younger man into his arms, holding him tightly, as he began to sob. "Its going to be okay," Gibbs promised as he stroked his head soothingly. "I promise you, everything will be okay..."


	15. Chapter 15

Tony finally managed to compose himself and pulled back from Gibbs, feeling utterly mortified over the way he had broken down. Senior field agents weren't supposed to cry in their boss' arms. I...I'm really sorry, boss," he said, staring down at the ground red-faced. "Why don't you take some time alone here. I'll wait for you back at the car."

Before Gibbs could say anything, Tony took off. Gibbs let him go, figuring he would give him a few minutes to get himself back together again and then he would be able to talk to him. After Tony had left, Gibbs turned his attention back toward the grave site. He knelt down on the ground and pulled out a few stray weeds that had sprung up. Between him and Shannon's mom, the site was always well kept up. He sighed to himself, thinking how different his life would have been had the tragedy with his family not occurred. Unfortunately, you couldn't change history though. He smiled thinking how Shannon would have loved Tony. She would have thought it amusing the way he could sometimes get under his skin. And Kelly...who knew what might have been if she had lived. He had lost her much too young. He had no idea really what kind of a woman she would have turned out to be. He blinked rapidly against the moisture forming in his eyes. It really wasn't worth thinking about. He spent a few more minutes alone and then slowly started walking back to the car. He had known Tony was feeling guilty over the fire, but he really had not had any idea of just how tortured the younger man had been and the depth of what he had been carrying around inside of him. He arrived back at the car and got in. Tony was sitting inside, staring out the passenger window.

"You okay, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine...I don't know what got into me. I'm really sorry."

"Why do you keep apologizing?" Gibbs asked. "You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"I acted like a fool back there..."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with expressing your emotions," Gibbs stated, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I'm just sorry you didn't do it sooner. I had no idea what was going on with you. You really should have told me."

"You said yourself you're not one to share your feelings, boss...No offense, but why would you expect that I would have talked to you about this?"

"You're right," Gibbs admitted, realizing that Tony had a valid point. "I guess maybe that's something we both ought to work on."

"Anyhow...it isn't really a very easy thing to talk about. I don't want to disrespect the memory of your wife and daughter."

"Come on, Tony...you and I both know that your nightmares are a product of your guilt and nothing more than that. I know you wouldn't disrespect them."

Tony nodded solemnly. "You're right...I wouldn't."

"And I think you understand now how I feel about you, right?" Gibbs prodded.

"Yes...I understand..." Tony looked down then back at Gibbs, almost appearing a little bit shy. "You know that my relationship with my own father isn't really the best...What you said...it means a lot to me, boss...and it goes both ways...I'm also honored that you chose to take me here."

Gibbs nodded. "That, in itself should tell you what you mean to me, DiNozzo." His voice was gruff as he spoke. "I want you to leave the guilt behind and move on from this."

"And what about what happened last night?" Tony asked. "Do I move on from that too?"

"Of course you do. I might have been upset with you, but I think I've made my point. Do you really think I want you to go around torturing yourself?"

"What about the head smacks?" Tony questioned, a faint smile on his lips. "Some could argue those are a form of torture, boss."

"Those are just to knock sense into that hard head of yours."

"Really? Sometimes I could swear you just do it for enjoyment."

Gibbs just smiled as he put the key into the ignition and started the engine. "Nothing wrong with enjoying your work, DiNozzo. Let's get moving. You can treat me to lunch before we swing over to the police station. Then I guess I really should think about doing some shopping for clothes and a few other things."

"Yeah? I don't suppose you want some company?" Tony asked.

Gibbs considered that for a moment before nodding. "I guess you can tag along if you like, but we're not going into any expensive designer stores or anywhere like that. I like what I like, basic, simple clothes. I don't need any fancy labels."

"We'll go where you want, boss. I won't say a word," Tony promised, managing to hold back a smirk. He didn't have to be told that Gibbs and designer clothes didn't get along.

After Tony gave his statement, they headed off to do some shopping. Tony remained true to his word, keeping his comments to a minimum and only making suggestions if asked. They picked up a pizza on the way back to Tony's apartment and settled down in the living room to watch some television.

"You did pretty well today, boss," Tony said as he took a slice of his favorite pizza from the box. "Those things you bought should hold you over for a while."

Gibbs nodded pensively. He still found it hard to believe that he was currently homeless. It was going to take some getting used to. "Yeah, I suppose they will."

"So when are we going to go back on duty?" Tony asked before taking a healthy bite of the pizza."

I'm going back tomorrow," Gibbs replied as he reached for a slice and placed it on a plate. "I figured you would want to take some leave."

Tony shook his head. "You figured wrong, boss. I don't need to take any leave."

"I think it would be a good idea, DiNozzo. You've gone through a lot over the past few days. Just take a day or two, anyway."

"No thanks, boss. What good is that going to do? I'm ready to go back to work. Besides, you need me." he added with a grin.

"You do realize you'll be on desk duty until that cast is off."

"We've been over that, boss. I understand I can't be out in the field with a cast."

Gibbs contemplated his senior field agent for another few moments and then nodded. "Okay then, we'll head in tomorrow morning. Be ready to leave here at 6 a.m. sharp"

"6 a.m., boss? Really?" Tony asked. "Um...isn't that a little early?"

"First day back, DiNozzo. Lots to do. You want to go in later on, that's fine, but if you're riding in with me, we're leaving early."

"That's okay. I'll go in early too," Tony said, forcing a bright smile. "I'll be all set and ready to go." It would be good to get back to work and start to put the events of the past few days behind him, even if it was at an ungodly hour.

xxxxxx

The next few months passed quickly. Tony had his cast removed and his wrist was as good as new. Gibbs was constantly meeting with contractors, going over details of the rebuilding of his house. A lot of it was going to look very similar to his own house, but he had decided to add a few new touches as well, including a large garage which he was going to use as a workshop for his boat building and other projects. It would be a lot easier than the basement to get the boats out once they had been completed.

A surprise housewarming party was being planned by the team for when Gibbs moved into the new house and they were planning on giving him special gifts to mark the occasion. Abby had arranged to have copies of Gibbs' family photographs artistically designed in a framed collage. Ducky was giving Gibbs the grandfather clock which had been prized by his mother for many years. Ziva had gotten a great deal on some weights and a weight bench and she and Tim were going to split the cost.

After much inner debating, Tony had decided to get Gibbs tools to replace the ones that were lost. He went to Sears and after spending a lot of time looking around and talking to an overly pushy salesman, he left the store empty-handed. He didn't know a whole lot about woodworking, but he was sure that Gibbs preferred more traditional types of hand tools, not the flashy power tools the salesman had been trying to sell him. It was still early on a Saturday morning and without even sure why he was doing it, Tony suddenly found himself programming Stillwater, Pennsylvania into his GPS.

It was a beautiful, sunny day and Tony felt relaxed and carefree as he drove along, singing to tunes on the radio and just admiring the rural scenery. It had been a long time since he'd just taken off on a road trip for no real reason whatsoever and it just made him feel happy. It was about 3 p.m. when Tony pulled up in front of the general store in Stillwater. He opened the door and the bells overhead jingled as he went inside. Jackson Gibbs was standing behind the counter. "Tony...is something wrong?" Jackson asked, greeting Tony warily. "Did something happen to Jethro?"

"No...No, nothing's wrong," Tony immediately assured the older man, cursing himself for not having called to let him know he was coming. Of course he wouldn't expect Tony to drive here out of the blue. What had he been thinking? "I'm sorry..I should have called."

Relieved, Jackson smiled and walked over to shake Tony's hand. "Don't be silly, you just surprised me. Its good to see you. Jethro isn't with you, is he?" Jackson looked over Tony's shoulder, hoping to see his son.

"No sir, he's not. He's working today, has a bunch of paperwork he wanted to catch up on."

"On a Saturday? He works too hard," Jackson said, shaking his head. "So what brings you out here, Tony? I can't imagine you were just in the neighborhood," he said, chuckling softly.

"No," Tony admitted with a smile. "It was a spur of the moment trip, but I do have a reason...tools."

"Tools?" Jackson asked, looking baffled. "Surely you didn't come here to buy tools?"

"No, no I didn't but I thought you could direct me on what to buy."

"Son, if you wanted to buy tools, why didn't you just go to Jethro?" asked Jackson. "He could have told you everything you needed to know. Not that I don't like seeing you, but its a long drive."

"I couldn't go to Jethro. The tools are for him," Tony said. He then went on to explain about the party and how he wanted to replace Gibbs' tools. "He's going to have a great space set up for his woodworking, with built in workbenches and shelving. He's probably mentioned it to you."

"Yes, it sounds like quite a place," Jackson said, nodding. "I'm hoping to get out to see it sometime soon."

"Anyhow, I want to get something that he'll really like and I don't know anything about it. I figured who would know better what to get than you?"

Jackson nodded thoughtfully. "I know of some places you could go. I wouldn't be able to take you out today, but we could go tomorrow morning if you'd like. There are some places I know of that have some great tools, older, handcrafted. I think we could find some that Jethro would love. Can you stay overnight?"

"Really? That sounds great," Tony said enthusiastically. "I can stay. You sure you won't mind?"

"Of course not, I've got nothing planned. Frankly, I'd love the company."

"Okay," Tony said, smiling. "Well, while I'm here, why don't you put me to work? I'm sure there are some things around here that I can help you with."

Tony and Jackson spent the rest of the afternoon chatting easily and working in the store. Finally, Jackson closed down the shop at 6 p.m. "So, what would you like for dinner, this evening?" he asked Tony, turning to him after he had put the closed sign up on the door.

"Oh, I don't want to put you to any trouble," Tony said quickly. "Anything is fine with me."

"I make some pretty good fried chicken if I do say so myself," Jackson said, smiling "How does that sound?"

"That sounds good. Tell me what I can do to help." Jackson started on the chicken and gave Tony a few tasks along the way including peeling potatoes.

"It sure smells good," Tony said approvingly as he set the table.

"Well, let's hope you think it tastes as good as it smells," Jackson stated. Finally, the meal was ready and the two sat down at the table to eat.

"Wow, this is really delicious," Tony said after he had eaten the first bite. "You've outdone yourself."

"Glad you like it."

"I do." They spent the remainder of the meal in companionable silence. Tony was so stuffed by the time Jackson had offered him a slice of apple pie that he wanted to decline, but it looked so good that he just couldn't. "Man, its a good thing I don't live here, I'd weigh about a thousand pounds," Tony patted his stomach contentedly. "That was truly outstanding. Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome."

"After such a delicious meal, the least I can do is take care of the dishes." Tony cleared the table and started to wash the dishes as Jackson grabbed a towel to dry them.

"So," Jackson began after the dishes had been washed and dried and the two men went back into the small living room. "You told me why you came here, but I still don't really understand why it was so important to you. Certainly there was some other way you could have found out about tools."

"I want to make sure he likes them...I know how important woodworking is to him," Tony said hesitantly. "I...I need them to be special. I know I can't replace exactly what he lost, but I'd still like to get something that he'll appreciate."

Jackson studied Tony closely. "You're not still blaming yourself for what happened, are you?"

"Still?" Tony asked, looking startled. "How did you know I was? I mean..."

"Jethro may have mentioned it a time or two," Jackson chuckled at the look on Tony's face. "We do talk from time to time."

"I know...I just...I didn't think he'd talk to you about me..."

"Why wouldn't he?" Jackson asked, his eyes serious and fixed on Tony. "You're very important to him, you know. He was worried about you."

Tony sighed and shook his head. "He's the one that lost everything, not me...he shouldn't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Maybe not quite as fine as you'd like everyone to believe?"

"Just because I want to get him some tools? Believe me, I'm fine now. I admit, I wasn't at first, but I can't change what happened. Its just what I said, I want to get him something he can really work with. Building boats and making things...its how he relaxes. It means a lot to him..."

"I know it does," Jackson said, nodding with a small smile. "And so do you."

Tony digested that for a moment then looked back at Jackson. "Its just that I didn't think he would talk about me to anyone...it surprises me."

"I am his father. We may not talk as much as other families, but we're trying to talk more these days, especially after all that has happened. I think we've both realized that life is just too short...I tried to get him to come and stay with me for a bit, but he wanted to stay with you. I asked some questions, put two and two together and you equaled four."

"Yeah, well...he's important to me too," Tony admitted. "He's done a lot for me, a lot more than my real father has...Speaking of which, I never called him. I need to do that, let him know I won't be back tonight."

"Won't he think that's odd?" Jackson questioned.

"Uh, no...not really," Tony smirked as he saw the look of understanding on Jackson's face then shrugged. "You know how it is."

He called Gibbs and then talked with Jackson for a while longer before the two men decided to call it a night. It was much earlier than Tony usually went to bed, but he was tired after the long drive.

"So...you can bunk down on the couch if you'd like...or, you can stay in Jethro's old room." Jackson chuckled at the way Tony's face lit up. "Bed's already made up."

"You're sure its okay?" Tony asked.

Jackson nodded. "Yes, its very okay. Way I see it is you're family now. No reason for you not to sleep in there. There are some sweats of Jethro's in the dresser as well if you'd like to wear them to bed. He left them here the last time he visited."

Tony said goodnight to Jackson then slowly entered Jethro's room, turning on the light and closing the door behind him. On first glance, the room was very plain which didn't really surprise Tony. There were two shelves on the wall which contained all kinds of wood carvings, tiny boats, planes, and race cars, all perfectly carved down to the smallest delicate details. Tony picked up the pieces, one by one, and admired the skill it had taken to make them. They really were beautiful.

His gaze wandered to the walls which were bare except for a marine recruiting poster and a couple of photographs of large boats. He then walked over to a desk which was in the corner of the room. He sat down in the chair, trying to imagine a teenaged Gibbs sitting here doing his schoolwork. There was a Stillwater High School yearbook lying on top of the desk. Tony smiled to himself, assuming that Jackson had put it there for him to be able to look at. He opened it up and slowly went through the pages, finally reaching the small photograph of Gibbs. He studied it closely, noting the serious expression on his face and how impossibly young he looked. Whereas a lot of the students had little sayings, quotes or private messages under their pictures, Gibbs only had his name. Tony actually would have been surprised if there had been some kind of a message underneath unless it had been one of his rules. He went over to the dresser and opened up the top drawer which was empty. The second drawer contained Gibbs' sweats which he changed into. He then climbed into bed, his mind full of thoughts about Gibbs as a boy. He still had many more questions than answers, but hopefully Gibbs would open up more about his formative years over time. It didn't take long before he contentedly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast consisting of Jackson's specialty pancakes, the two men set off in search of tools. It went very well. Tony watched in admiration as Jackson dealt and haggled, finding the very best tools for the best prices. The ones that were chosen looked beautiful, even to Tony's untrained eye. He was sure Gibbs would be pleased.

"Thanks so much for all your help and for letting me stay the weekend," Tony said as he shook Jackson's hand before getting into his car. "The party is planned for next Saturday. It would probably mean a lot to Jethro if you came."

"I'll try to make it," Jackson said. "This was fun for me, Tony. I can see why Jethro thinks so highly of you."

"It was fun for me too," Tony said. "Maybe I'll come out again sometime..." He nibbled his lip uncertainly when he suggested it, not sure if he was overstepping.

"I'd like that, Tony," Jackson said with an easy smile. "I'd like it very much. Maybe you could even drag that son of mine out with you as well."

"I'll certainly try." Tony said, smiling as he got into his car. He waved at Jackson before pulling away and started on his journey home.


	16. Chapter 16

The following Friday, Tony left work before Gibbs, who was tied up in a meeting with Vance. They had driven in separately that day. He wanted to get a head start on preparing a special meal for Gibbs' last night at his apartment. He had gotten really used to having the other man around and was feeling more emotional than he wanted to admit about Gibbs leaving the next morning. He knew they would still see each other at work every day, but it still wouldn't be the same. Their relationship had changed over the last few months. There was a more easy camaraderie between the two of them. Gibbs was a lot more easy-going with him at home. They had shared many enjoyable talks, even just sitting back, watching a movie or a game had much more meaning now. Tony knew it was the kind of thing fathers and sons did all the time, but he'd never had that opportunity with his own father. This was new for him and he was going to miss it.

He expertly finished layering the lasagna, then placed it into the oven, and set the timer. He found himself wandering into the guest room which had evolved into Gibbs' room over the past months. With a pang, he saw that most of Gibbs' belongings were already packed up and neatly stacked alongside the wall. The room already looked barren and deserted and Gibbs hadn't even left yet. He closed the door and went back into the kitchen to cut up some vegetables for a salad. He had just finished tossing everything together when Gibbs came in the door.

"How'd everything go?" Tony asked as he put the salad into the refrigerator.

"Fine. It was nothing important, just a bunch of boring administrative stuff. What's cooking?"

"It's my special lasagna extraordinaire. Its a secret recipe passed down by my family for generations, straight from Italy. You're going to love it, boss," Tony said grinning.

"Special occasion, DiNozzo? You must be really happy to be getting rid of me," Gibbs joked. Tony's face fell and he quickly recovered, but not before Gibbs had noticed. Damn...he had been so busy lately between working and taking care of last minute details with the house that he really hadn't had a chance to think about how Tony might feel about his leaving. "I'm kidding." he added softly.

"I know that," Tony said as he glanced at the oven timer. "Dinner will be ready in a half hour." He headed out into living room and Gibbs followed him, watching as Tony began rapidly flicking through channels with the remote control. He sat down next to him and pulled the remote out of Tony's hand then used it to shut off the television.

"Feel like talking?" Gibbs asked quietly

"No, not really," Tony said shrugging, then looking back at Gibbs. "Why? Do you?"

Gibbs nodded. "I know I've told you this before, Tony, but I just want to say how much I appreciate you having me here over these past months."

"It was my pleasure, boss."

"I've really enjoyed spending time with you...and I'd like it to continue."

"Yeah?" Tony asked, looking back at Gibbs uncertainly. "Really? I thought maybe you were just kind of sick of me by now...you know, with seeing me morning, noon and night."

Gibbs chuckled. "Though you can get a little bit annoying sometimes, I'm not sick of you. I'll actually miss having to fight with you for the morning paper. Hell, I've probably spent more time with you than practically anyone else in my life. I know you pretty well by now, Tony. You won't be getting rid of me that easily." He saw the look of relief flash in the younger man's eyes and was glad he had managed to quickly ease any uncertainties Tony might be having.

"That's good...I've liked having you here...it'll be a little bit lonely after you've gone," he admitted.

"Come on," Gibbs ruffled Tony's hair playfully. "Now you can go back to bringing your dates home at the end of the night." Tony hadn't really dated a lot since Gibbs had been staying at the apartment, but when he had, he had never brought any of the women back to his apartment. Gibbs was certain things had been quite different in the past.

Tony smirked as his cheeks colored slightly. "I'm going to go put the garlic bread in the oven."

A short time later, dinner was on the table and Gibbs looked surprised after he sampled his first bite of the lasagne. "This is really, really good, DiNozzo...I'm impressed."

"Don't look so shocked, boss. I told you it was good, didn't you believe me?"

"Well, yeah I thought it would be good, but this is outstanding, definitely the best I've ever tasted."

"I know, it is, isn't it," Tony said with a confident smile. "I'm glad you like it."

The two men ate their dinner then spent the rest of the evening companionably chatting late into the night before finally hitting the sack. The next morning Gibbs awoke at 9, which was late for him. He quickly got out of bed and pounded on Tony's door. "DiNozzo! DiNozzo! Wake up. It's already 9 o'clock."

Tony yawned and stretched as Gibbs walked into his room. "What's the big rush, boss?" he asked. "It's not like you have much to move." Furniture had been delivered during the week and as far as Tony knew, nothing was scheduled to be delivered today. Besides, he had been instructed not to let Gibbs get to the house before 10:30. The rest of the team was to have arrived at the house early to set up the surprises. Tony had given them the key which Gibbs had presented to him.

"I just want to get things organized," Gibbs replied.

"You need to relax," Tony smiled as he snuggled further under the covers. "Besides, I'm going to make us some breakfast."

"It doesn't look like it," Gibbs glared at Tony who had allowed his eyes to close again.

"I'll get up in a minute," Tony insisted.

"You'd better," Gibbs stated as he left the room and headed to the bathroom to shower.

Tony smiled to himself as Gibbs slammed his door shut. He wondered how much he could push it without getting Gibbs really angry. They needed to waste some time before they could leave. He still hadn't moved to actually get out of bed and was still feeling sleepy. Before he knew it, Tony had drifted off again.

Gibbs got out of the shower and dressed quickly then headed out to the living room. Tony's door was still shut. "Dammit, DiNozzo," Gibbs muttered, trying not to get too annoyed. It was Saturday after all and Tony was right that there wasn't really a time table on what needed to get done. Even so, he did want to get moving.

"DiNozzo! Are you up?" Gibbs called out as he knocked on the door again and received no response. Shaking his head, Gibbs opened the door and marched over to Tony's bedside, rapping him sharply on the back of his head.

"Ow!" Tony sat up immediately and rubbed his head as he glared at Gibbs. "What was that for?"

"For falling back to sleep," Gibbs couldn't help but smile. With his hair all tousled, Tony resembled an irate little boy.

"Its not funny, boss."

"From where I'm standing it is," Gibbs replied, still amused. "How about I make the breakfast while you get ready?"

Tony glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9:15. "Okay, boss. If you're sure. I really don't mind making it though."

"If we wait for you, it will be dinnertime before we eat. Now get up, get ready."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting up," Tony grumbled good-naturedly. Gibbs left the room and Tony got out of bed then headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He stayed under the hot, pelting water much longer than necessary and didn't rush to dress. He finally made his way to the kitchen at 10:00, quite pleased with his time wasting skills.

"Blueberry pancakes, boss?" Tony grinned appreciatively as he saw his very favorite breakfast piled high on a plate in the middle of the kitchen table. "I didn't think I had any blueberries."

"You didn't." Gibbs answered. "Since you didn't seem to be moving especially fast this morning, I ran out and got some."

"Yeah, guess I'm just kind of tired today. I'm sorry," he said, smiling happily, not appearing the least bit sorry.

"Its okay, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he sat down at the table. "Come on, sit down and eat before they start getting cold."

Tony sat down and started in on the pancakes. "Thanks for making these," he said after swallowing a mouthful. "I sure am going to miss them." Knowing how much Tony liked them, Gibbs had started making them once a week on a weekend morning.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to come over to my place sometimes to get your blueberry pancake fix," Gibbs stated.

"Really?" Tony asked, looking back at Gibbs hopefully.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "I already told you we'd still see each other outside of work, DiNozzo. What part of that didn't you understand?" he asked. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

"Sorry..." Tony said. "Its just..." He shook his head and sighed. "Never mind..."

"Come on, Tony, what is it?" Gibbs asked as he looked back at his agent. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing really," he began hesitantly, hating that he was so insecure about things sometimes. "My father...he just never wanted to spend any time with me, I mean never. When he had to, for one reason or another, it was like he was doing me the biggest favor in the world. I knew he never genuinely wanted to do anything with me. I just...I never want to make you feel like that, you know? I don't want you to feel pressured into spending time with me. "

Gibbs hesitated before responding, wanting to say just the right thing. Tony was revealing little facets of his life that he, for the most part, had managed to keep carefully hidden. "You should know, better than anyone that I don't do things I don't want to do. If I say I want to spend time with you, its because I do, not because I feel pressured into it. Trust me when I say I like spending time with you and want it to continue. Its as important to me as it is to you. I don't really know how I can make it any more clear than that."

"I'm sorry, boss," Tony said a little sheepishly. "You have made it clear. I don't know what's wrong with me. You must think I'm pretty pathetic."

"I don't think you're pathetic. I just think you were shortchanged in the father department. Hopefully I can help remedy that a little bit."

"You really don't have to do that. Its not up to you." Tony protested as Gibbs reached over and swatted him on the back of his head.

"Do you not comprehend anything I say to you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. "We just went over this." He had no idea how Senior could have been so utterly callous regarding his son, basically tossing their relationship in the trash.

Tony nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Stop with the apologies and start eating. I want to get out of here before sundown."

Tony chuckled and focused his attention back on his breakfast.

xxxxx

"The house looks really great," Tony said admirably as he walked up the driveway to meet Gibbs who was pulling a box from the trunk of his car.

"That it does, DiNozzo. That it does." It had taken him a bit of time to adjust to all the changes, but once he had, he had really gotten into the spirit of the whole rebuilding process. The new house really was beautiful. "Here, make yourself useful." Gibbs shoved the box he was holding into Tony's arms and picked up another one. Tony just grinned and eagerly followed Gibbs up the driveway to the house. They had just entered the front door when the shouts of "surprise"greeted them. Gibbs jumped slightly, obviously startled as Tony laughed at the reaction of their usually unflappable boss. He placed his box on the floor and took Gibbs' as well, just in time for Abby to throw herself into the older man's arms.

"Happy Housewarming, Gibbs!" she exclaimed as she kissed his cheek. "Did we surprise you?"

"Yeah, you surprised me, Abs," Gibbs admitted with a smile as he greeted Tim, Ziva and Ducky. "Is this why you were so turtle-like this morning, DiNozzo?"

"Yeah, boss. We weren't supposed to get here until after 10:30, but I really did fall back to sleep."

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?" a familiar voice asked from the doorway as Jackson walked in, carrying a large shopping bag.

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked as he went to his father and the two men embraced.

"Oh, a little birdie told me," Jackson replied, smiling. "The place looks beautiful, Jethro."

"I'm happy with it, dad."

Jackson greeted the rest of the team and then everyone's attention focused on Abby who was jumping up and down. "Time for your gifts, Gibbs!" she said excitedly.

"You didn't have to get gifts." Gibbs looked more than a little bit embarrassed by all the attention he was receiving.

"We wanted to," Abby said as she took Gibbs' arm and led him into the living room. "Tada! Gift numero uno." She waved at the grandfather clock which was displayed prominently in a corner of the room. The wood was polished so that it gleamed and there was a red ribbon around it.

Gibbs immediately knew who it was from. "Aw, Duck, you shouldn't have," he said, obviously moved by the gift.

"I can't think of anyone I would rather give this too, Jethro." Ducky replied as Gibbs thanked him.

"Mine next!" Abby called out gleefully as she reached for a large flat package on the floor, leaning against the wall.

"I think he'd better open hers before she jumps right through the floor," Jackson whispered to Tony who grinned delightedly at the comment.

Gibbs tore the wrapping off the package and stared in awed silence at the framed collage filled with family photos. "This..this is beautiful, Abs," he said as his eyes roamed over the artistically placed photographs. "Look, dad." He beckoned his father to him and the two men stood together admiring the pictures. "Thank you so much," he said as he pulled Abby into his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied, finally having toned down her exuberance, momentarily anyway. "The rest of your gifts are in the garage."

With that, they all headed over to the garage entrance way and Gibbs eyes at first went to the weights and weight bench. "This is great," he said, looking back at his team. "Thank you."

"They're from Timmy and Ziva," Abby informed him. "There's more though." She pointed to the workshop section of the garage.

Gibbs walked over and then he spied the tools on top of the tool bench. He moved his hands over them, struck by the fine craftmanship of the hand crafted tools. "These...these are perfect..." He looked at Abby who pointed at Tony with a smile on her face. "How...how did you know what to get?" he asked.

"Your dad helped me," Tony stated, pleased that Gibbs seemed to like the gift so much.

"When?" Gibbs asked, looking from Tony to his father.

"Young man paid me a visit last weekend," Jackson answered with a broad smile. "And I must say we had a very good time. Speaking of which, I brought a big batch of that fried chicken you liked so much, Tony, and a couple of pies as well."

"Yeah? That's great," Tony replied, then turned his attention to the others. "Wait until you all taste it. Its really out of this world."

Everyone then started chatting at once and Gibbs had to clear his throat loudly to get the group's attention. "I just want to say thank you for everything you've all done for me today," he began. "I can't tell you how much it means to me...I couldn't ask for a better group of friends..."

xxxxx

After a fun-filled afternoon of chatting, food and some lively sessions of McGee's Lords of Rock game, the party finally began to wind down at around 5 o'clock. Tony was the last one remaining and he decided to head on home to give Jackson some alone time with his son.

"It was nice seeing you again," Tony said as he shook Jackson's hand at the front door.

"Nice seeing you, as well," Jackson replied as he glanced at Jethro. "Don't you think you should tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Tony asked.

"I'm going to head to Stillwater next weekend," Jethro replied. "My dad has a lot of repair work around the place that needs to get done."

"Well...that's nice boss," Tony said, looking at the two men in obvious confusion. "I hope you have a nice visit."

"I thought you said he was your lead agent?" Jackson asked, looking at Jethro mischievously.

"He is," Jethro stated, biting back a grin, "just isn't always too quick on the uptake. You're coming with me, DiNozzo."

"I am?" Tony asked, looking back at the two men in obvious delight.

"Yes, you are," Jethro said, smacking him lightly on the head. "I think its about time you learned how to use some of these tools, don't you?"

"Yeah, boss. I guess you're right," Tony replied with a happy smile. "Guess I'll see you next weekend then," he said to Jackson. They said their goodbyes and Tony headed toward home, feeling like he was part of a real family for the first time in his life.


End file.
